True Love
by Annie from Quotev
Summary: April O'Neil's long lost sister, Annie, has been spotted by the Turtles on one of their nightly patrols. When Annie's injured, the Turtles take her back to the lair, but while she lives with them, will she end up falling for a certain Turtle?
1. PrologueRunning

~Prologue~

I'm fire. I'm as hard as a rock on the outside and on the inside. It's been like that ever since I was four. I have been living on the streets of New York City, carrying a small katana blade for my safety. Obviously, it's not enough, no matter how skilled I am with this dangerous tool.

But only one thing keeps me alive on the streets: finding my sister, April O'Neil. We were separated when we were four, and a murderous family took me in. They beat me, and I still have bruises to this day, scarring me for life. I ran away when I was only four, and that family has been looking for me ever since.

But I'm getting ahead. I'm called Annie. Ann Elizabeth O'Neil.

I, Annie, had never had feelings for anyone. And I never plan on having any. I'm just as solitary as a rock. But that is then. Now, on with my story of life.

* * *

**~Chapter 1~**

Running

Dark shadows cover the whole of New York City. I run along with them, my black boots slapping the pavement quietly. I'm running on the empty road, away from a group of idiot guys.

As I run, I curse at myself. Why didn't I use my weapon? I don't have a weak spot to keep me from violence, so this is a big mystery. I grumble to myself and keep running.

I run down an alley, which is a stupid, yet smart idea. They'll either think I'm helpless and weak, and I'll surprise the crap out of them, or they'll know what I'm planning and come with reinforcements.

I stop at the end of the alley and face the guys. There are four of them, but they all look the same. They're holding weird, gun-like things, and I grab my blade, ready to fight. But I'm dangerously outnumbered.

Suddenly, the light above me goes out, and I hear the guns blast. Crap. I shield myself and close my eyes, praying to not die today. Suddenly, something—or someone—bumps into me, knocking me down.

"Oh, sorry," a voice says. I open my eyes and see a dark green shape in front of me. I squint my eyes to see better, but it disappears in a cloud of dust.

I cough, and run out of the alley, trying to find the green shape. Nothing. The four look-alike guys are gone, too. Weird. I sigh, slide the blade back into its holster on my waist and head for my rooftop home.

I climb up on a telephone pole, reaching the roof of an old abandoned warehouse. This building hasn't been used in ages. And I own the roof of it. It's been my home since I ran away from my foster home.

I grab a pillow and blanket from the roof and wrap myself in them. I try to fall into sleep, but I can't. I finally do, with the dark green shape from earlier in my dreams.


	2. Annie

Donnie's POV

We finally get back to the lair, and the girl stays in my mind. I don't know why, though.

April comes in to see us. "What took you four so long?"

Since I can't answer, Mikey does. "We kinda ran into some creepy Kraang—Droids on our night patrol. We rescued a girl from them."

At this, April's eyes widen. "What girl? Tell me!"

"We saved a girl from the Kraang," I say. "We escaped as soon as we could, though. Why?"

April sighs. "When I was a kid, I had a sister. Her name was Ann Elizabeth, but everyone called her Annie. We were very close. But a terrible event happened—and I don't want to talk about it—and separated us. I escaped with my dad, and our mom was killed. Annie couldn't be found."

I see slight tears form in her eyes. Poor April.

"She was only four, and I was five," she continues. "After almost two months of searching, we gave up. Everyone thought she was dead. But I have a feeling that she's alive. She might have been the girl you guys ran into tonight."

"April," Leo speaks up. "We're all sorry about your sister, but we can't know for sure if it was her. The girl's long gone, by now."

April glares at him. "You have to! You have to go look for her! I can't lose my sister again!" When no one answers, she stands up from where she was sitting on the couch. "Fine. If no one will go, I will. I'll find Annie with or without your help." She heads to the exit, but I stop her.

"You can't go out there in the middle of the night!" I protest. "It probably wasn't your sister out there, though. And going out there is very dangerous, especially at this time of night."

"I know it was Annie!" April presses. "Oh, and standing between me and my sister is very dangerous for you." She crosses her arms and glares at me.

I sigh. I don't have a choice. I move to the side and she exits.

"I'm surprised you let your girlfriend go that easily," Raph says.

"She's _not_ my girlfriend!" I protest. But deep down, I wish she was.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––


	3. Found bywhat?

~Chapter 3~

Found by...what?

Annie's POV

I wake up to the sound of cars whirring past the building I'm on on the road. I slowly get up and grab my blade, cautious of any daytime roof jumpers.

I pull out my iPhone (which I bought at a local Apple store) and stick it in the pocket of my skirt. I grab my blade's holster and snap it on my waist. I slide my blade into it.

I jump to the other roof, and slam into the pavement. Ouch. With a slight sickening feeling, I realize who's apartment I'm on. Vic's.

Crap. He's probably the crankiest dude ever to live on the earth. Just now, he opens his rooftop hut's door, and I freeze.

"Ann?" he asks. "Get offa my roof before I seriously call the police."

"I'm pretty sure the police will come if you say there's a teenage girl on my rooftop." I roll my eyes.

"I mean it, teen!" He waves his phone in the air.

I sigh. "Okay, okay! Sheesh. I'm going!" I slide down the building and onto the sidewalk. "Happy now?" I yell.

For at least four hours, I do everything I can think of, including eating a whole pie of pizza. Soon, night comes, and I'm on my rooftop home.

Suddenly, when I reach for my blanket, I hear a familiar voice.

"She's not my girlfriend, Mikey! She's a girl, who's a friend, who's dad got kidnapped by the same aliens who are gonna break into that lab, and we're gonna stop them!"

I quietly jump over to Vic's roof and see the green shape—four of them—and duck behind Vic's garbage he keeps on the roof. I look closer to see they're...turtles?! Mutant turtles! Awesome! They also have multi-colored masks on. Blue, red, purple, and orange.

"Or we'll sit out on a cold roof all night for no reason," the turtle with the red mask says.

Suddenly, the door swings open and Vic appears. "What the heck's going on up here?"

The turtles freeze; I guess they don't want anyone to know about them.

"What are ya, playing dress up?" Vic asks.

"No, sir," the blue-masked turtle says. "We were just—"

"Which one of you slimy green ham shanks busted my satellite dish?!" Vic screams.

"Dude, look in the mirror if you want to see a slimy ham shank," I mutter.

"Ham shanks?!" the red one screeches.

"I don't even know what that means," the purple-masked one says. I realize he's the one with the voice from last night.

"Me neither," the red one growls. "But I don't like it!" He reaches for his belt, where a sai rests. My eyes widen. These turtles have ninja weapons! That doubles their coolness.

The blue-masked one stops the red one. "Let's go," he says. The turtles turn to leave and I duck behind the garbage.

Too late. I lock eyes with one of them before I duck down. The purple one. I swallow and press my finger to my lips. Hopefully the others won't find me if he keeps his mouth shut. He slightly nods.

"That's right, ya spineless cream puff!" Vic yells. I can see the red-masked turtle looking really ticked off. "Listen to your mommy!"

My heart weeps at the memory when he'd said that to me a while ago. The insult had slapped me worse than anything had before. I don't have a mother anymore. She was killed when I was four, and the bladed creature—I'm not sure he was even a human—kidnapped me and took me to Japan. After a year, I escaped to New York City. My heart still feels like a dagger stabs into it each time I think about the horrible events that changed me forever.

Suddenly, the red turtle whips around, sais in hands. "Hey! Watch it, buddy!"

"Oh, no!" Vic yells tauntingly and mockingly. "I didn't know you had salad tongs!"

"Salad tongs?!" The red one charges forward, but the blue one holds him back. "I'm not gonna take this from some greasy, pit-stained slob with a comb-over!" I giggle at that.

"You calling me ugly? Seen a mirror lately, circus freak?!" Vic shoots back. "You want a piece of me?"

"When I'm done, a piece of you is all that's gonna be left!" the red one yells. Now, all of the turtles are holding him back.

Suddenly, a blast of purple almost shoots the red one, if he didn't jump back in time. I look over to see the four identical guys from last night! I gasp.

"Kraang—Droids!" the blue one shouts. Huh. That's what they're called?

"Holy Toledo!" Vic gasps.

"Way to blow our position, Raph," the blue whispers harshly to the red.

All turtles whip out their weapons: katana blades for the blue, sais for the red, a bo staff for the purple, and nun-chucks for the orange. I'll say it again: awesome!

The turtles charge into battle and start destroying the droids. One of them sneaks away from the fighting and gets closer to where I'm hiding. Suddenly, he whips around and fires his gun into my arm.

"Ow!" I scream. I fall back, trying to ignore the pain in my arm. "What was that for?!"

"That which is known as girl will pay for that which is known as befriending those who are called the turtles."

...Do they all speak like this?

Suddenly, the Kraang is whacked to the side by the staff from the purple turtle. He runs to me, kneeling down. "You okay?"

"I guess," I say. "But, ow! My arm seriously hurts."

Suddenly, another Kraang comes at us. The turtle whacks his staff across the Kraang's face.

"Keep going, Kung fu frogs!" I turn to see Vic, holding his phone up. "This is pure gold!"

"We're not frogs, you idiot!" the red one screams.

"Yeah, and it's not Kung fu!" the purple one adds. "It's an ancient Japanese battle art!"

"Guys, he got us on video!" the blue one says.

Now, the red one's seriously pissed. "Not for long, he doesn't." He leaps for the door, but Vic just shuts it in his face, causing him to slam his head in the door.

"I'm gonna make a fortune offa this!" Vic yells from inside.

"Firetrucks on route," the purple one says, looking down on the road. "Thirty seconds."

I try to get up, but I fall down, clenching my right arm. "Ow!" Sea green liquid pours out of the place where the Kraang shot me. I wince as the purple turtle gently lays his hand on my arm.

"Oh, no!" he yells. "The mutagen!"

Suddenly, I black out.


	4. Donnie

~Chapter 4~

Donnie

I open my eyes. Suddenly, I'm met with reddish-brown eyes. My eyes widen. I've never seen eyes like them before. I mean, I've seen blue, green, brown, hazel, even red eyes, but not reddish brown. They seem so...unusual. Beautiful. Intelligent. _Amazing_.

After staring into them for a minute, I realize they belong to the purple-masked turtle. He's standing over me. I'm in a small gray bed, a few bandages wrapped around my right arm where the Kraang shot me.

I blink. How am I supposed to talk to a mutant turtle?! _Think about it!_ I scream at myself. "Uh...hi," I say.

The turtle blushes. "H-hey. You feeling any better?"

I look at my arm. It still burns like a fire's scorching through it. "Sort of." I meet his eyes. "Who are you?"

"I'm Donatello," he says. "But you can just call me Donnie. You?"

"Ann Elizabeth," I say. "Annie, for short." I swallow. "Um, what are you? And what was that green stuff on my arm from earlier? And where am I?"

"Calm down," he whispers. "Well, you're in our lair—where my brothers and I live. And I'm...a mutant turtle. And that green stuff was...mutagen—the stuff that turned me into what I am now."

"So..." My voice trails off. "I'm a mutant?" My eyes fly to my arm. It's normal, and I flop it down next to my head.

Wait...I don't remember this pillow being so...fluffy. I look next to my arm. The pillow's yellow. Wait! Wasn't it white? I slowly sit up, to see the yellow follows me. My blue eyes widen. I turn to Donnie.

"Where's a mirror?!" He hands me one, and I gasp.

It's my human self, but attached to my back there are two huge yellow bird wings. I blink twice, feeling the feathery material on my back. I swallow a lump in my throat.

"You're part mutant," Donnie whispers. "The sea green liquid on your arm was mutagen, as I said before. I was able to create a chemical that sucked up the mutagen out of your bloodstream. But unfortunately, a small portion of mutagen stayed in your body, turning you into a bird-kid."

"But why bird?" I ask.

"Well," Donnie starts. "The mutagen works like this: you touch something, and you're in contact with mutagen, you turn into a mutant version of whatever you touched."

I blink. "I did touch a yellow dove today. And I would've not loved being a mutant. So, thanks for getting most of it out." I lean forward and hug him.

"Y-you're welcome," he says. When I pull away, he smiles, showing an adorable gap in his teeth. "Hey, you said you're name was Annie, right?"

"Yeah," I say.

"Funny," he says. "You have the same name as our friend's sister. Ann Elizabeth. Did you have a sister at one point?"

I swallow. I can trust him to tell him about my past, right? "Well, I did. Her name was April, and we lived in a small house with our parents and dog. But one day, a man came to our home and broke into it. He was...covered in silver armor and blades. He killed my mother and kidnapped me. April and our dad must've escaped, but I was taken to Japan. After a painful year, I escaped and went to New York City. I've lived here since I was five." I swallow tears and look down. Donnie's hand lands gently on my back and he embraces me in a tight hug. I cry into his plastron, screaming at myself in my head. "I...I miss my sister! I wish I could see her now."

Donnie stares in my eyes. "Lucky for you, I have something that will help you feel better. Wait here." He exits and I'm left alone in the room.

Soon, he comes back in. "Ready to see someone?" I shrug and nod.

Suddenly, I see a teenage girl come into the room. She has red hair, blue eyes, and a row of freckles lay across her nose. She's wearing a yellow shirt that has the number 5 on it, and gray leggings with denim shorts over them. She gasps.

"Annie," Donnie whispers. "I'm pretty sure this is your sister, April O'Neil."

I gasp. Suddenly, I run to her and wrap my arms around her. "April! I've missed you so much!"

"Oh, Annie!" she cries into my shoulder. "I'm so happy my little sister's safe! Where've you been?!"

"In the city," I say. "I've been living here since I was five!" I feel tears spill down my cheeks as I turn to Donnie. "T-thank you so much!" I hug him tightly. "Thank you for reuniting me with my sister."

After a few minutes of April and I chatting about what has gone on in the past...years, I see Donnie exit. I turn to April.

"Hang on, okay?" She nods and I walk out of the room.

Suddenly, I slip on something. I fall to the floor in a flash. I groan, looking for the thing I slipped on. A skateboard.

I reach for it and place it by the wall, but I'm met with another turtle. The orange-masked one. He smiles at me, his baby blue eyes glowing. "Are you the girl we saved last night? You look like April!"

"That's because I'm her sister," I say. "Who are you? I'm Annie."

"I'm Michelangelo," he says proudly. "But you can call me Mikey."

"Okay, Mikey," I say. "How many of you are there?"

"There's Donnie, me, Leo, and Raph," he says. "You can tell Leo by his blue mask, and Raph by his red mask. And I have orange!" He smiles like a child. Oh, that's adorable!

"Okay," I say. "You know where Donnie went?"

"In his lab," he says. "You know where it is? I'm not really supposed to go near his lab."

"I'll find it," I say. "Thanks. By the way, cute freckles." I go down to a room which I guess is the living room. I see two sliding doors and slide them open. Donnie's in here, working on something. "Donnie?"

He turns and smiles. "Hey, Annie. Everything cool with April?"

"Yeah," I say. "I can never thank you enough for reuniting us."

"It's nothing," he says. "Anyway, we're leaving tonight."

"Where?" I ask.

"To the building we were at last night," he explains. "That human videotaped us and we can't let anyone else see us. We have to get it back."

"I can help!" I say. "I've known him for a while. Too long, in fact. And I can help get the video. Please?" I put on my best puppy-dog eyes and stare at Donnie.

He swallows and blushes. "Um, I guess. I'm sure we could use a girl on our side, besides April."

I smile and hug him. "Thanks, Donnie!"

* * *

Once we're outside, I decide to try out my wings. I haven't told April yet, but I should.

I unfold them and jump in the air. I flap my wings and I'm carried into the air. I gasp as I fly higher. "Donnie!" I yell. "Thanks for the wings!"

Donnie looks up from his running place. "Whoa!"

"Wait, what wings?" Mikey asks. He looks up. "Wow! Awesome, dudette!"

"Thanks, dude!" I yell.

"Guys!" Leo hisses. "Keep it down! We should be coming to Vic's apartment soon."


	5. Turtle Temper

~Chapter 5~

Turtle Temper

Once we reach his apartment, we watch him come out of his building, talking on his phone. "That's right! I swear on my mother's grave that these guys are frogs and they know Kung fu! You can't tell me that's not worth something! Okay, fine! Then I swear on my neighbor, Ann's mother's grave!"

My eyes widen and drop down. "What was that about my mother?!" I give him the hardest glare ever. The turtles drop down, surrounding him. He shrieks.

"I'll call ya back," he says. He hangs up the phone. "Lay one finger on me, frogs, and I'm calling the cops!"

"We've heard that so many times," I mutter. I tap my katana blade's holster, itching to slice this guy open.

"We're...not gonna hurt you," Raph says. I can tell this pains him.

"Then what do ya want, freak?" Vic asks.

The red-masked turtle tenses up. "We got off on the wrong foot last night. Some things were said, and well, we would just like that video back." He forces a smile, and we smile along with him. After we receive Vic's glare, Leo nudges him. "Please?"

"What are you gonna give me for it?" Vic asks.

"Give you for it?" Raph repeats.

"Well, I figure I've got you over a barrel, so you've got to make it worth my while," Vic says.

"I'll make it worth your while," Raph growls. "I won't take your head and smash it against the—"

"Okay, okay, thank you Raphael. I will take over!" I interrupt. I turn to Vic. "So, what are you looking for?"

"A cool mill oughta cover it," he answers.

I nod. "A cool mill of what?"

"A million dollars," he replies.

"We don't have a million dollars," Leo says.

"We do have some Canadian quarters that fell through the grate," Mikey says.

Vic waves the phone tauntingly in front of our faces. "I can make serious money offa this thing! And if you don't wanna pay for it, I'll hold onto it until someone else does!"

"That's it!" Raph screams. He grabs Vic and slams him down onto the pavement. "Hand over the video, or so help me, I'll kick your hairy butt all the way to New Jersey!"

I turn to Donnie. "Hothead?" He nods. I smirk at Vic's expression. Well, the jerk deserves it after making too many comments about my dead mother. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I see four familiar creeps. "Guys! The Kraang!"

They jump into the van and drive straight towards us. My eyes widen.

"Raph!"

* * *

I charge forward and push them out of the road, just in time for the van to speed past. I turn to Raph. "Let's not let this one get away."

He picks up a barrel and throws it at the van, causing it to crash into the brick wall. He smirks. "Well, that was easy." The Kraang jump out and start firing at us. "Okay..."

"Ahh!" I scream. I dodge a blast and swipe out my blade. "Alright, Kraang creeps! Let's dance!" I charge and slash my blade across the Kraang, making it fall I go for another one, and quickly make it fall. "Thanks to your precious mutagen, I'm a bird-kid!" I jab my katana into the Kraang, making it short out of power.

As the battle carries on, I see the van speed away, with a turtle.

"Guys!" I yell to the turtles. "Raph's in the van!"

We run after them, and Donnie holds out his staff. "Raph! Get outta there!"

Raph ignores him and turns to Vic, grabbing his arm. "Listen, you idiot! Frogs are not lizards, and we're not frogs!" Suddenly, a Kraang grabs him and throws him out. He crashes into us, and we fall into a pile.

My face is collided with the pavement, and I groan in pain. "Ow! My face," I mumble. I stand up, rubbing my right cheek. It's scraped, drops of blood coming out.

Leo glares at Raph. "Nice going, Raph."

Raph shoots up. "What did I do?!"

"_What did you do_?!" Leo explodes. "You left the four of us in the middle of the fight to yell at somebody! And you know Annie could've been killed! We could've stopped them, but thanks to your temper, the guy with the tape—"

"Technically, it's a flash—" Donnie cuts in.

"Not now!" Leo hisses. "—is in the hands of the Kraang! Now, how are we supposed to find them?!"

Donnie keeps his eyes on the road. I notice oil spills on the road. "Look!" Donnie says. "The truck's leaking!"

"Alright!" I say. "We can follow the trail to their hideout!"

"And then we'll bash some bots!" Raph says. Leo glares at him. "What?"

"We are going to bash some bots," Leo says. "You are going home."

"What? Are you kidding?!" Raph asks. "Come on, guys. Are we gonna let Leo power-trip like this?"

"I think Leo's right," Donnie whispers.

"You gotta control your temper," Leo says. "Until then, we just can't trust you." He turns and leaves, then Donnie, then Mikey, and I'm left with him.

"Sorry, Raph," I whisper. I turn and follow the others, but not after hearing the sound of sais clashing onto the road.

* * *

Once we reach the warehouse where the Kraang are hiding, I glare.

April had told me that the Kraang had kidnapped our dad, and had taken him somewhere. Is he in there? Are the Kraang hurting him?! I grit my teeth and tap my blade's holster.

"What are you doing?" Donnie asks.

"April told me the Kraang took our dad," I say. "And tapping my blade's holster is the only way I can calm myself."

Mikey has a sad look on his face. "Are we really gonna do this without Raph?"

"We can handle it," Leo says.

"I don't know." Mikey sighs. "It just feels like something's missing." Suddenly, Leo slaps Mikey's head. "Ow! Thanks."

"Happy to help," Leo says. "Let's go!"

We sneak into the building and walk quietly through the stacks of crates, littered with spiders.

"Spiders," Mikey whispers. I swallow. I've always hated spiders. Suddenly, Donnie smirks and slaps Mikey's head. "Ow! You don't have to keep doing that!"

"There was a spider on you," Donnie says.

"Well, there's a spider on you, too!" Mikey says.

"No there isn't!" Donnie says, checking.

"Come here!" Mikey jumps on Donnie and starts pounding on his brother's head.

"Knock it off!" Donnie yells.

Leo comes over as I face-palm. "Hey!" The brothers stop fighting immediately. "Shh!"

We come to the Kraang's meeting place, where they have Vic tied to a chair. So far, next to Raph almost physically hurting him, this has been the most awesome thing ever today.

"The image that is the image on the phone is pleasing to the eye of Kraang," one says.

"This is true," another one replies. "Kraang is looking in what is known in Earth terms as handsome."

_You wish! _I think.

As Vic tries to get them to bargain for money, Mikey wraps the chain of his nun-chuck around the chair and starts pulling. Vic turns around and stares.

"We're gonna get you outta here," I whisper.

"What about my phone?!" Vic protests.

"Shh!" I hiss.

"Don't shush me!" Vic yells. "I ain't leaving here without my phone!"

The Kraang turn and ready their guns. "Stop the ones that need to be stopped! Stop!"

"Remind me why we have to rescue this guy," Donnie whispers to me.

* * *

The guns blast and I charge. I slash my katana across a Kraang, and it falls, a pink brainy thing pops out and scurries away.

"Alright, that is disgusting!" I yell. "Does anyone realize these things are freaking _brains_?!"

"Tried to tell them that a couple days ago, dudette," Mikey yells back. "No one believed me."

I shudder and keep killing Kraang. Suddenly, I hear Vic's scream from the dark.

"Kraang," one of them says. "Go look at the place where the thing that makes the noise is, and tell us what thing makes that noise in that place." The second one walks into the dark area, but is soon thrown against the wall. The brain thing pops out and scurries away.

I hear a low growl. "I don't like the sound of that," I whisper to Donnie. Suddenly, a huge red, gray, and black spidery mutant jumps out. "I don't like the look of it, either!"

"What did you do do me?!" it screams. "I'm hideous!"

"Don't worry," Leo says. "The five of us can handle him."

"Okay, this might be a bad time to point this out, but you sent one of the five of us home," Donnie says.

"And right now, I wish it was me!" Mikey whines.

"This is your fault!" Vic yells. "I'm gonna rip your heads off!"

"Alright, guys," Leo says. "Time do dish out the mighty wrath of justice!"

"Seriously, just yell _get him_," Donnie sighs.

"Get—" Suddenly, Leo's thrown into the crates.

Donnie charges forward and smacks his staff across the mutant's face, but is also thrown. Mikey attacks, and then I do. But it's too strong.

"Is that all you got?!" Mikey yells. Suddenly, he spits yellow acid at us, burning the floor. "The answer I was looking for was _yes_." Mikey gulps.

As he keeps shooting acid, we run from him. Soon, he's got us cornered, and surrounded by acid. We fall through the floor, crashing into the next one.

"We're no match for Spiderbytez!" Mikey yells.

"Spiderbytez?!" I ask.

"Well he's a spider, and he bites, so I thought—" Mikey starts.

"We get it!" Leo shouts.

Suddenly, Spiderbytez jumps down. We run to one side, but he quickly blocks our path. We run to the other side, but he blocks that one, too. "This bug is fast!" I say.

"Yeah, spiders aren't actually bugs," Donnie says. "They're—ow!" Spiderbytez grabs him and throws him into the crates.

"Donnie!" I yell.

"Playtime's over, frogs!" Spiderbytez shouts. He throws another ball of acid at us, and comes closer.

"Wow," a voice says over us. I look up. "I didn't think this guy could get any uglier."

"Raph!"

He jumps down and glares at Spiderbytez.

"Well, I think you've been punished long enough," Leo says. "Come and join us!"

Spiderbytez chuckles. "Hey, it's the Kung fu frog with the salad tongs!"

"Hey, it's the stupid loudmouth who's about to get his butt kicked!" Raph retorts. Spiderbytez shoots acid at him, but he dodges. Suddenly, Spiderbytez shoots acid at the floor around us, making us fall through the floor. We slam into the next floor, which is sea green.

"Uh, let's not fall through this floor, okay?" Donnie says.

"Why?" I ask.

"Because it's mutagen!" he says. "The stuff that turned you into what you are now! A bird-kid!"

Suddenly, Spiderbytez and Raph fall down, the mutant spider taunting the red-masked turtle. "Aww. Froggy thinks he can stop me. Ribbit ribbit."

While he taunts him, Raph takes a deep breath and mutters something to himself. Then, he starts attacking Spiderbytez with all his might.

"That's some Kung fu, frog," Spiderbytez says.

We jump by his side. "We're not 'Kung fu frogs'. We're ninja turtles!"

"And a bird-kid," I murmur. I slash my blade across Spiderbytez's face, which makes him stumble back. I see his phone on the floor and stomp on it—hard.

He shrieks. "My phone!" He turns to the turtles, then me. "You guys are gonna regret this!" He escapes from the building and runs off into the city. We follow him and watch him run.

"I know a nice, black widow that would be great for him," Donnie says, smiling.

"Good work, Raph," Leo says. "I just wanna say—"

"You don't have to apologize," Raph says.

"I wasn't going to," Leo says.

"Oh," Raph whispers. "Good."

"Yeah, Raph," Mikey says. "Not bad for a bloated buffalo." He chuckles. Suddenly, Raph jumps on him. "Okay! Raph is all wise and powerful!"

"And?" Raph smirks.

"And he's better than me in every possible way!" Mikey screams.

I laugh along wih the others, and we make it back to the lair.

"You're alright!" April says. She gives me a quick hug before Donnie pulls me away.

"Annie," he starts. "There's someone we want you to meet." Suddenly, a huge rat in a red kimono comes out. He eyes me suspiciously, but then smiles. "Annie, this is our sensei, Master Splinter."

I swallow. "H-hello." I feel so ridiculously small next to this rat.

"Hello," he replies calmly. "You are April's sister, Ann Elizabeth, correct?" I nod. "And I see you've already befriended my sons." I nod again. "Would you like to live in the lair with us?"

I look over to April and shake my head. "No thank you. I think I'll live with April and our aunt. But thank you for the offer."

He nods and I turn to April. We leave the lair and go to Aunt Susan's apartment. Since she's gone for the night, April gets me settled in the extra room.

"Also," she says. "Tomorrow I wanna get you into school."

My eyes widen. "April, if you truly love me, you won't send me to school tomorrow."

She shrugs. "Sorry." She leaves the room as I sit on my bed.

I think about my new mutant powers. I still haven't told April about them. I spread my yellow wings and run my hand through them. They feel so feathery and soft.

Suddenly, I hear a tap at my window. I turn to see a familiar face. "Donnie?" I open the window. "What are you doing here?"

He hands me a book. "Since you're a bird-kid now, I thought this might help." I look closer at the book. _Maximum Ride—The Angel Experiment. _

I smile. "Thanks, Donnie." I give him a quick hug before he runs off into the night.

I climb into bed and open the book. But I'm too tired to read any, so I just cuddle up with the book and drift off into sleep.


	6. Return of the Enemy

~Chapter 6~

Return of the Enemy

Once morning light comes, I sit up in bed, reading the Maximum Ride book. It's 6:48 a.m., and in twelve minutes, I have to get to school.

April walks by my room. "Annie? How long have you been up?"

"About an hour," I say. "Donnie gave me this book last night." I hold up the book.

"That's cute, but we have to get to school!" April protests.

I roll my eyes and choose my outfit: a sleeveless, green shirt with matching green shorts. I wrap a light brown bandage-like strip around my torso, and also add it around my legs, up to the knee. I slip on light green shoes to match the outfit. I tie my red hair in a high ponytail, and grab my bag. Inside are a few books, folders, a pencil case, and my katana. I smile and zip it up, leaving the house with April.

Once we're on Roosevelt High School grounds, almost everyone takes notice of me. My face blooms carnation pink when a boy won't take his eyes off of me. April leans over to me. "Don't take notice of Eric," she whispers. "He hits on almost every girl in the school. It's sorta normal after a while."

I swallow and nod. I turn and see a blonde girl with blue eyes and glasses. She clutches her books like she needs them to breathe. "April," I ask. "Who's that?"

She shrugs. "I'm not sure. She's one of the quiet kids who sit in the back of the room."

As the day carries on, lunch seems to take forever to come. I'm so hungry I could eat anything. Well, except turtle soup.

I take my lunch and look for some place to sit. I notice the glasses girl from earlier, reading a science textbook and taking notes in a notebook. I go over to her. "Is it okay if I sit here?"

She looks up and shuts her textbook. "Sure!" She scoots over as I sit next to her. She smiles. "I'm Alli. Nice to meet you!"

"I'm Annie," I say. "I'm new here."

Alli's eyes widen. "Wow! You're April's little sister?"

"By only one year!" I defend myself, smiling. "Anyway, I just came here, since April forced me to come. I'm not exactly enjoying this."

"Don't worry," Alli says. "It'll get easier." She reaches into her bag and pulls out a notebook. She writes a few things in it, and looks at me. "Can I tell you something?"

"Sure," I say.

"Okay," she says. "I'm obsessed with one subject and one subject only: mutation!"

My eyes widen. "Really? I find it awesome!"

She seems to sigh in relief. "Wow! Finally, I find someone who also likes mutation. I can never find anyone who's interested in mutants. In fact, my dream is to be a famous scientist who specializes in mutations, and..." She stops. "Am I rambling?"

I laugh. "Somewhat. But I don't care. I ramble a lot, too." We share a chuckle, but she stops when she sees something. "What?"

"Eric's coming," she whispers. I remember April saying he hits on every girl in the school. I swallow.

I turn to see a tall boy with brown hair and blue eyes come towards us. His eyes are locked on me, and I gulp. "Please tell me he's just walking past."

"Nope," Alli says.

Eric stops at our table and leans over near me. "Hey. Haven't seen you here, pretty."

I back away. "Actually, I just came here. I'm new."

"If you're new, then you must be looking for a boyfriend," he says. "Just so you know, I'm available."

His hand is on mine, and I flick it away. "Not interested."

He glares, but walks away. Alli's eyes widen. "Whoa! No one's turned down Eric before! You've got guts!"

"Guts, indeed," a voice says behind us. I turn to see three girls, each dressed in fancy clothing and pearl necklaces that look totally expensive. "No one says no to Eric. You should watch your back."

"Uh-oh," Alli whispers.

"Who are you girls?" I ask.

"I'm Jasmine," the leader says. "This is Isabel, and Jezebel." He motions to her flankers. "Anyway, as I was saying, Eric gets his revenge either way on girls who reject him. Most of them aren't even alive anymore."

Alli's breath hitches in her throat.

I glare. "Technically, it's not any of your business to know who I reject."

Jasmine glares. "Oh, really? Not only do you reject the most hottest guy in school, but you have the nerve to talk back to me?! Sheesh. What an imbecile!"

I shoot up from my seat and stare her in the eye. "Not only do you call me an imbecile, but you come here and invade me and my friend's business. Go away. Now."

Jasmine's eyes widen. "No one talks to me like that!"

"Now I am!" I yell. "Get away and never bother us again, or you'll be sorry."

Jas just sniffs and turns away, walking away to bother someone else. Her flankers follow her, and I glare.

Alli hugs me. "Wow! I've never met anyone like you before! I feel like I have a bodyguard!"

I smile and sit back down. "No problem. I just hate it when people just get involved with your business. Anyway, do you know anything Jas is known for being 'the queen'?"

Alli's quiet for a minute. "There's the cheerleading team. Jas is known for being the leader of the cheerleading squad. You could beat her at it." I smile at my new friend.

"Alright!" I say. "Thanks, best bud." I pat her head and she beams. I go to my next class with Alli, and soon enough, the day ends.

Since April stays after on Fridays for her math club (don't even get me started on math. Completely hate it.), I walk home alone.

Suddenly, I hear a whimper in the alley on the right. I slowly walk towards it, and gasp at what I see.

A medium-sized Akita dog yelps as his tongue connects with his leg. I look closer to see his right leg is covered in blood. I walk closer to it and whisper to it. "Hey there, little guy." He growls and snaps, almost biting a huge chunk out of my hand. "Easy, boy." I avoid eye contact and inch my hand closer.

I hear him growl and suddenly, his wet tongue traces over my hand. I let my hand slide up his head and rub it gently. His tail wags and he lets his tongue hang out of the side of his mouth.

"That looks like a nasty wound," I whisper. "Here."

I gently use gauze to sap up the blood, and I pour some water from my water bottle onto his wound. I use bandages I found at Susan's apartment to wrap up his leg.

After the wound is dressed, I see the dog's ribs poking out from under him. I wince. "Alright, boy. Here's the deal. I'm going to get you some food, but you have to stay here, alright?" He barks and I run to the small deli across the street. I buy six sandwiches, three ham, and three cheese. I get back to the dog and unwrap a ham sandwich.

I place it in front of him. He sniffs it suspiciously.

"I don't have any dog food," I admit. "So this'll have to do."

He takes a huge chunk of the sandwich and gobbles it up. I rub his head while he eats, and I notice a worn red collar. I take it, and read it: Hachiko.

"Hachiko?" I ask. "Your name is Hachiko?" He growls and barks, taking another bite of my sandwich. "I guess you like the food," I say. He barks and wags his tail.

For the next two hours, I talk to him, telling him about my life and new mutant powers. He seems to listen, and even occasionally wags his tail and barks. As long as I keep feeding him bites of the sandwich, he seems and acts friendly.

Soon, the sandwiches are gone, and Hachiko lays on his back, stomach probably full. I lay down next to him, talking about the turtles.

"I'm guessing they're just trying to help me out with my new mutant abilities, but I wish their enemies would just give it a rest." I sigh. "I mean, my own dad was taken by Kraang—Droids and now we don't know where he is!" Hachiko whimpers. "I mean, and Shredder's out there, lurking in the shadows. Sometimes I'm so scared of him I just want him to come out of no where and attack, so I won't have to later. And sometimes, I feel so lost. I feel like I'm a lost six-year-old, trying to find her mom in a busy city. But the truth is, I don't have a mom anymore. The Shredder killed her and kidnapped me when I was four. He took me to Japan, and after about a year, I escaped here. I didn't want him to find me, so I retreated to the city, where it's so busy he wouldn't even know where to find me." I turn to the Akita, who's staring at me with huge brown eyes. "Am I boring you with this rambling?" I ask. He rolls over and shakes his head, sneezing. "God bless you," I whisper. I take the dog into my arms and bury my face in his orange fur. "God bless us all." I look up to the night sky. "Mom, if you're listening to this, I wish you could give me the strength I need to overcome my fear of the Shredder. He keeps haunting my dreams and memories, and I can't get past my fear of him killing me. Please give me strength. I love you." I let two tears fall into Hachiko's fur before pulling away. "Sorry, Hachiko. I'm a little sad."

I notice it's already dark out and hug Hachiko one last time. Suddenly, something falls into the dumpster behind Hachiko. He yelps and jumps back.

"Easy, boy," I whisper.

Mikey emerges from the dumpster and stares at me. The other turtles drop down besides me. He looks at us with the saddest baby eyes ever. "Someone wanna help me with this?" He turns, and I see a cat clawing at his shell. Hachiko growls and barks at the feline.

"No," we say in unison.

Mikey sighs and grabs the cat, throwing it to the side.

"Face it," Raph says bitterly. "Humans will never understand you. Heck, we don't even understand you."

"Yeah," Mikey sighs. He looks up and sees a Chris Bradford billboard. "But I bet that guy would!"

"Chris Bradford," I read. "The martial arts superstar. With a chain of dojos across the country. He's your soulmate?"

Mikey poses like Bradford. "We have so much in common."

"What if you stop standing like that?" Donnie asks.

"We'll have a little less in common," Mikey admits. "But still, a lot. And look! He's in town for a martial arts expo! Maybe he'll show me his secret kata: The Death Dragon! And I'll show him my secret kata: The Secret Kata!"

"Catchy," I say sarcastically.

"Check it out!" Mikey does a series of seriously embarrassing moves. "Now, don't tell anyone you saw that."

"No problem," I say.

"Face it, Mikey," Raph says. "Chris Breadford is the last person on Earth that would be friends with you. Well, tied for last, with everyone else on Earth."

Suddenly, a group of ninjas jump down and surrounds us.

"Ninjas?" Donnie asks. "In New York? Other than us?!" We whip out our weapons, and a ninja throws a star. It sticks into Donnie's staff, and I quickly rip it out.

Wait. I've seen this before. It looks like...

We charge into battle, and my blade clashes with another. I swipe it away, kicking the ninja. I fight a couple more, before a warrior jumps down. He quickly defeats Leo, then Raph, then Donnie, and finally gets to Mikey. He pulls him towards him.

"What are you?!" he asks. Mikey jumps back and they both pull on the chain from the nun-chuck.

"Hope you don't mind having a broken chain, Mikey!" I yell. I jump up and slash my blade through the chain, slicing it. The warrior and ninjas stare at us, and I notice one of them has Hachiko. I gasp.

"Wait!" I yell. "Give him back! He doesn't belong to you! Hachiko!" I fight myself to get to the ninja, but he's already gone. Damn! "Hachiko? Come back!"

"You seriously want them to come back?!" Mikey asks. "Dude!"

"They have my dog!" I protest. But I follow them to the sewers.

* * *

Once we're in the lair, I'm reading a magazine, and Mikey's reading a Chris Bradford magazine, or chomping on it.

"Oh, I wish me and Chris Bradford were friends!" Mikey yells. He chomps on the magazine.

I place mine down and smile. "Mikey, you already have a human friend. Well, mostly human friend. Me!"

"Annie, you don't count. We saved your life. You have to like us." Mikey keeps staring at the magazine

"What about April?" I ask.

"Saved her, too," Mikey says.

"Too bad there's no place for freaks to meet people where no one can see how hideous they are," Raph says.

"Wait, there is!" I say. "The Internet! Donnie, can I see your laptop?"

"Y-yeah," he says. "Sure. Just a sec." He hands it to me, and I pull up a social networking site.

"Check it out," I say. "It's a site where you can make friends with anybody online!"

"Sweet!" Mikey says. He scoots over and I slam into Donnie, making him blush. I smile and turn to Mikey. He gasps. "Chris Bradford's on here! He'll be my first friend!" He pushes a button and waits.

I smile. "Mikey, people don't always respond immed—" Ding! "—but sometimes they do."

Mikey gasps. "No way! Chris Bradford has accepted my friendship! I have a friend! Thanks, Annie!" He wraps me in a hug and I see Donnie's mouth open in shock. He lets go and runs towards the exit.

"Where you going? Hey!" Donnie catches his laptop before it hits the floor.

"To go hang out with my friend, Chris Bradford," Mikey says.

"This guy's famous!" I say. "He probably has thousands of 'friends'." I put air quotes around friends.

"And guess who's friend number 5,286?!" Mikey asks eagerly.

"...You?" I ask.

"Daniel Ramirez! And I'm right next to him! Later!" With that, he's gone.

"Well, this oughta be interesting," I say truthfully.

"Should we go after him?" Donnie asks.

"Nah," Raph says. "He's gotta learn somehow."

* * *

"They must've been watching us from here," Leo says. "He perfect place to stage an ambush."

I fold my arms across my chest and glare. Why'd those ninjas take my dog?! "I promise I'll get you back, Hachiko."

"If wasn't very fair, was it?" Donnie asks.

"It's not about fairness!" Leo suddenly snaps. "It's about victory!"

Donnie holds up his hands. "Okay! I'm sorry!"

I roll my eyes and listen to Mikey's blabbering. "And then, Chris Bradford put on his hakama! Man, that guy can rock a hakama!"

Raph rolls his eyes. "Yeah, well maybe he'll wear it again when he takes you to the prom."

"Yeah," Mikey goes on. "And after that, he—"

"Oh, enough!" Raph protests. "You've been going on about this for 3 hours!"

"Make it stop!" I mutter, holding my head.

"Someone sounds jealous!" Mikey says. "You just can't admit you were the 'R' word!" We stare at him. "Wrong!"

I groan along with the boys. "Put me out of my misery!"

"I'm not wrong!" Raph scoffs.

"Oh, yeah?" Mikey asks. "If you don't wanna talk about my friend—" He jumps towards us. "—I've got 2 other brothers who do!"

"Actually, I'd rather talk about anything else!" Leo admits.

"Like the concept of a silent w, perhaps?" Donnie suggests.

"What about you, Annie?" Mikey asks, putting an arm around my shoulders.

I shake it off, crossing my arms. "Sorry. I'm still pissed at those ninjas for stealing Hachiko."

"That's what you named it?" Donnie asks.

"It came with the name," I say. "But that's not the point! When I found him yesterday, I told him everything. He actually listened as well as a dog could."

"Fine," Mikey says. "I'll go talk to a guy who likes to talk about Chris Bradford more than anyone else—Chris Bradford."

Suddenly, I explode. "Enough with that name! I'm sick of it! Mikey, I'm sorry for even showing you that website! I'm sorry for bringing it up! I know that Bradford guy's bad news! I can feel it in my blood! And I don't feel anything in my blood for nothing!"

All four turtles stare at me with shock in their eyes. Mikey backs away and runs towards his friend's dojo. I hold my head.

"I'm sorry, guys," I say. "I just know I've seen Bradford somewhere before! He's bad news, and I'm positive about that. And I'm still pissed for those ninjas taking Hachiko. Sorry, guys."

They shrug. "It's okay," Donnie says, landing a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry about that dog, though."

I shrug as we head to the lair.

* * *

"And then he kicks...twists...sweeps the leg...ha! The Death Dragon!" Mikey announces.

I swallow a hard lump in my throat. I know that move from somewhere! It's on the tip of my tongue, but I can't seem to say it. I lean against the tree in the dojo, next to Raph.

"That was amazing!" Leo comments.

"Yeah," Donnie adds. "It's devastatingly effective, and complex!"

"And yet, even Mikey could learn it," Raph teases.

"Thank you," Mikey says, before realizing what Raph said. "Hey!" Suddenly, the laptop makes a beeping sound. "It's Rad-Brad! That's my little name for him. He wants to get together for a little B-ball. I can't wait to find out what the B stands for!" He types quickly, and stands up to leave.

"You're going now?" I ask. No! I want him to stay here! I don't want him to be with Bad News Bradford. _Yeah. That's my little name for him!_

"Sorry, dudes and dudette," Mikey says. "Human friend stuff. You know how it is. Oh—wait. No, you don't!" He laughs to himself before leaving.

I hold my head. I gotta get outta here. I walk to the living room to grab my bag, but a hand grabs my arm. I turn. Donnie. "What?" I ask.

"What's wrong?" he asks gently. His beautiful reddish-brown eyes glitter with worry.

"I know Bradford is bad news," I whisper. "And I just wanna protect Mikey from any danger." I shut my eyes. "I know I've seen that Death Dragon move before, but I can't remember. But I know each time I hear it, I get shivers up my—" I stop, gasping.

"What?!" Donnie asks, alarmed. He takes my shoulders. "Annie?"

"I remember," I breathe. I race to the exit, but slip on a skateboard—again?!— and crash onto the floor. "Ow!" I rub my head.

"Annie!" Donnie kneels down to my level and holds up my head. "You alright? Calm down and tell me."

I swallow. "T-the Shredder..." I murmur. "That secret kata came from the Shredder!"

Donnie's eyes widen. "Are you sure?!"

I nod. "I gotta tell the others!" I race to the dojo, where Leo and Raph are practicing the kata. I gasp. Master Splinter comes into the room as well. His eyes widen as he watches his sons practice.

"Where did you learn that?!" he yells.

"Mikey learned it from his new friend," I explain.

"The man who taught him that kata is no friend!" Splinter tells us. "It comes from the Shredder."

"Shredder?" Donnie asks. "You were right," he whispers to me.

"You mean, Bradford is one of his students?" Leo asks.

"He must be," Splinter agrees.

"So Bradford's just pretending to be Mikey's friend to get to you!" I realize. "I knew something wasn't right with that guy!"

Raph sighs. "Oh, what a relief. Everything makes sense again!" I glare at him and his eyes widen. "Mikey's in trouble!"

* * *

"Annie! Slow down!" Leo yells.

"No!" I scream. "I refuse to let anyone who works for the Shredder hurt my friends!" I race to the dojo, and slide down the window. My lungs scream for air, but I ignore them. I was too much in a hurry that I didn't even think about using my wings.

The turtles catch up to me, and Donnie chews a piece of gum. He sticks it on a pencil and uses it to cut open the window. I'll never understand this turtle.

We sneak inside and I knock out some ninjas. I hold up a still-conscious one and glare. "Listen," I growl. "We're here for the turtle, but I'd like to know what happened to that dog you took from me!"

"Annie!" Donnie hisses. I roll my eyes and slam the ninja's head into the floor.

"Dudes!" Mikey yells. "That was sporadic!"

"Shh!" we all hiss at him.

Donnie face-palms. "That's not what that means!"

I kneel down and use my katana to cut the ropes that tie up Mikey. I hug him. "I'm so sorry! I should've known earlier that he worked for the Shredder!"

We exit and disappear into the sewers. While Raph and Leo hide in the water, Donnie, Mikey, and I take the ninjas out quietly, once they follow Bradford and another guy through the sewers.

I wrap my hand around a ninja's mouth and pull him towards me. "Tell me where the dog is!" I growl.

"In a shed near the alley we fought you in!" he says. "He's tied up!" I throw him aside until the ninjas are all missing.

Bradford and the other man notice the missing ninjas, and the other lights a flare. The ninjas are all tied up on the roof. "Show your faces!" he yells.

Raph and Leo emerge from the water, and Mikey, Donnie and I emerge from the shadows.

"They've trapped us!" the man shouts.

"Take 'em down!" Bradford yells.

As _we_ take _them_ down, Leo and Donnie end up near a wheel thing, which controls the sewage. "Hit it!" I yell. They turn it, and they're washed away in sewage. _Awesome_.

"Well, that wasn't very fair," Raph says, smirking.

"No, it wasn't," I agree.

We laugh. "High-three!" I point three fingers and high-three them against the turtles'.

"Wait," I say. "I need to go back to that alley we were two nights ago."

"Why?" Donnie asks.

"I gotta check something."

* * *

"Slow down!" Donnie yells. "Sheesh! You run like your life depends on it!"

I race to the shed and busy the wooden door open. "Hachiko?" A faint whimper answers me. "Hachiko!" I see the dog, tied up to a pipe. "Oh, my baby!" I cut the rope and hug him tightly. "Thank God you're alright!" I look up to the sky. "Thank you for keeping him safe, Mom," I whisper.

* * *

We're back at the lair, Hachiko snoring softly by my side. I sit next to Donnie on the floor, eating pizza.

"Um, Sensei, aren't you hungry?" Donnie asks.

"...I fear we are celebrating too soon," Splinter says.

"Too soon?" Raph asks. "The bad guys were swept away in a river of raw sewage. By my watch, that makes it the perfect time."

"Shredder knows I'm alive," Splinter says gravely. "And worse, he knows about all of you." He motions to his sons. "It's my worst nightmare come true."

"So it's not over?" I ask. Hachiko opens one eye and growls softly.

"Oh, no," Splinter says. "It's just beginning."


	7. Stopping Stockman

~Chapter 7~

Stopping Stockman

On Monday morning, I walk to school alone. But when I'm halfway there, I turn around to see I have a follower.

I face-palm. "Hachiko, you can't go to school with me. I don't even know why you'd want to." He walks over to my leg and rubs against it, like he's some kind of cat. "Hachiko, please go home." He barks and heads off.

When I see Alli near the school, she runs towards me. "Annie! Guess what my dad said on Friday night?" I shrug. "He said he saw a green creature with an orange mask. He said it was holding our cat, Mittens."

I swallow. He sounds a lot like...no. It can't be Mikey. But he did have a cat clawing his shell on Friday. "What does Mittens look like?" I ask. Alli gives me her phone and pulls up a picture.

"That's her," she says. "She's snuggling up to my other cat, Whiskers."

In the pic, a black-and-white tuxedo cat is cuddling with a larger yellow tabby cat. The tuxedo looks exactly like the cat that was clawing Mikey's shell on Friday. "Aww," I coo. "They're so cute!"

Alli nods. "Whiskers is mostly an alley cat. She always sneaks away from home to the alleys." She stares sadly at the phone. "But Mittens has been missing. I've printed posters at home, and I'm gonna hang 'em up later after school. Wanna help?"

I nod. "Sure."

As we go through school, and lunch comes, we chat about our upcoming science project. We're assigned a project to research an animal and create a full animal bio for it, including its diet, habitat, and even blood types.

"What should we do our project on?" Alli asks. Her blue eyes sparkle behind her huge glasses.

I barely listen to her, since my mind's on the turtles. "Turtles," I say. I suddenly clamp my hand over my mouth.

"Awesome," Alli says. "I've always wanted to research a turtle." She scribbles a few notes in her black notebook she always has with her.

When lunch is over, and school is over, I help Alli hang up the posters. I read one before I hang it up.

**Missing Kitten!**

**Our two-year-old kitten, Mittens, is missing. She is a female black-and-white tuxedo cat with green eyes and a bronze collar. She loves people and will come near you if you have food. If you have any information, or have seen her, please call the Harpers at 845-831-8439. **

A picture of Mittens is taped on the paper.

"That's the last of 'em," Alli says once we hang up the last one. "I have to get home and see if anyone called yet." She runs off, and I turn, only to see Hachiko.

"Hey, boy," I say, scratching his head. "Shouldn't you be home?" He cocks his head and yips, as if to say, _Uh...no...?_

I make it home to my apartment and drop my backpack and grab my skateboard and Hachiko's harness and leash. I tie the harness to him and clip the leash on it.

We walk out and he runs besides me as I skateboard. I flip, grind, and do several tricks, not falling off. I look up to the roof of the buildings while skating and see four familiar figures. I turn to Hachiko. "You tired?" He yips and yawns. "Get home, boy. I'll be there in a few." I let the leash go and he runs off towards the apartment. I grab my skateboard and fly up next to the purple-masked turtle. "Hey, Donnie."

He jumps, smiling. "H-hey, Annie. Where'd you come from?"

"I actually was walking Hachiko," I say. "But he's home, now. What's up?"

"Hey, Donnie!" Mikey yells from behind. "Thanks for all the new songs!"

Donnie's eyes widen. "Wait, what new songs?"

"Explain?" I ask.

"Keep it down, you guys!" Leo snaps.

Donnie and I jump back to Mikey, where he's holding an iPod-like machine. "What the?!" Donnie gasps. "It's got thousands of songs, and it keeps downloading new ones every second!"

"So?" Raph asks, coming up next to me.

"So, I didn't program it to do that," Donnie says. "It's reconfiguring itself somehow." He gasps. "It's that chip!"

"What ever it is—" Mikey jumps in the air. "It's awesome!"

"Guys!" Leo yells from below. "We're ninjas, remember?! We move swiftly, and—here's the important part—silently!" He suddenly falls off the building and crashes into a greenhouse, tumbling down apartment stairs and crashing into the ground, sending off car alarms.

Raph smiles. "That wasn't very silent, Leo!" I smirk.

Somehow, we end up at the school, which has an awesome rail to grind.

"Check it out!" Mikey says excitedly. "Let's grind it!"

We smile, but Donnie's attention is to the side. "Who the heck is that guy?" He motions to a guy in armor, walking towards a warehouse.

"I don't know," Raph growls. "But he needs a beat down."

"Hold on, Raph," Leo says. "We don't know tht he's gonna do anything wrong. He...he could be on his way to...church!"

"Wearing powered battle armor?" Raph asks. "What kinda church is that?"

"A really awesome one," Mikey says, grinning.

Leo face-palms. "Look, it's my call. I decide who gets a beat down." The armor guy uses a blaster thing to melt the lock on the warehouse. "That guy needs a beat down!"

We jump down and stare at the guy. The blaster he's using powers out. "Are you kidding me?! Aww, come on!" He kicks the door and then pulls it from the bottom.

"It's just...kinda sad," Donnie whispers.

"Yeah," I agree. "I don't know if we should pound him or buy him an ice cream cone."

Leo whips out his katanas. "Halt, villain!" he growls.

He turns around. "Huh?"

"'Halt, villain'?!" Raph asks. "When did we start talking like that?!"

"We're heroes," Leo answers innocently. "That...that's how heroes talk."

The guy glares at us. "You will feel the fury of my powered battle—holy cow! You guys are turtles!"

"That's right!" Leo says proudly. "We're the turtles of justice!" Raph and I groan.

"Wow," Raph says, holding his head. "I mean, just...wow."

We run towards each other, but Mikey's yell made us stop. "Wait!"

"What?" I roll my eyes. "I wanna hurt this guy!"

Mikey wraps the headphones around the T-Pod and swings out his nun-chucks. "Okay," he says.

We start fighting him, and I realize he is pathetic. I slash the blade across his armor, making a few pieces fall off. Again—pathetic.

He steps back and sets off an alarm. We exchange glances on how to get rid of him, until Raph opens the dumpster lid and nods. We grab him and throw him in the dumpster.

"You aren't the first to ever throw me in a dumpster," the man growls. "But I swear, that you will be the—" Raph slams the lid down and we escape.

* * *

We get back to the lair, and I yawn. "How late is is?" I ask Donnie. My legs wobble, and I feel another yawn coming on, but I force myself to stay awake.

"Alright!" Raph says. "We made it home!"

"Shh!" Leo snaps. "It's 2 a.m!"

I gap. Two in the morning?!

"And Splinter's still asleep," Mikey whispers. "This is epic!"

"It's not epic!" Leo hisses. "It was a really bad idea!"

"No, it wasn't," Raph says. He flips onto the couch. "We got out there, and stomped a sleezeball, so...what's the problem?"

I see Mikey checking himself over, and look nervously at Donnie. I frown. "Mikey?" I whisper. He stares at me. "Meet me in the dojo." We run into the dojo, and I fold my arms. "Okay, Mikey. What's wrong?"

"Donnie made this music player and gave it to me!" he blurts out. "During the fight with that guy I lost it!"

"Calm down," I whisper. "And why were you guys so concerned about waking Splinter up?"

"We're grounded," he mutters. I fight back a laugh, finding his pouty face adorable.

"It's alright," I say. "I'm sure Donnie won't know about the T-Pod. But don't bring it up, okay?"

He nods. "Alright," he whispers.

* * *

The next day, I lay on the couch while Leo's watching his stupid Space Heroes show. I roll my eyes. This show has absolutely no point.

Suddenly, the show's interrupted, and Leo whines.

"'We interrupt this program to bring you breaking news,'" the reporter says. "'We received shocking footage of an assault on the TCRI office complex in Brooklyn.'"

My eyes widen as I see the same guy we fought last night, but with much powerful armor than before. But how?!

"At last!" he shouts. "I will have my revenge!"

"W-who are you?" a man off camera asks.

"You'll never know," he answers. "I'm the thing that haunts your nightmares! I'm the nameless shadow that—"

"Baxter?" someone asks. "Baxter Stockman?"

"No!" he protests.

"Hey, everyone!" the guy yells. "It's Baxter Stockman!"

"I think his name is Baxter Stockman," I whisper.

"Is this because I fired you?!" another guy off camera shouts.

"That copy machine was already broken when I...I mean...I don't know what you're talking about!" Stockman growls.

"How did he upgrade his armor so fast?" I ask Donnie.

The camera catches a glimpse of a familiar player. Uh...oh...

Donnie gasps, and turns on Mikey. "He has the T-Pod?!"

"Oh, um," Mikey laughs lightly. "I might've dropped that during the fight."

"You dropped it during the fight?!" Donnie screams. "Nice going, Mikey!"

"It's your fault!" Mikey retorts.

"How's it my fault?!" Donnie yells.

"You know I can't be trusted with nice things!" Mikey yells, honestly.

I mentally laugh at Donnie's expression. He looks sooooo pissed off right now! I try to take his mind off of Mikey. "So the AI chip is upgrading his armor the same way it upgraded the T-Pod?" I ask.

"And if it keeps going, there's no telling how powerful he'll get!" Donnie tells me.

"This has gone way too far," Leo says. "We have to tell Splinter about this!"

"What? That we turned some nut-job into a super villain? You know what he'll do to us for that?! I mean, he pounded us into the ground just for being sleepy!" Raph protests.

"Ow," I mutter.

"Look," Donnie says. "If we beat Stockman once, we can beat him again. We track him down, grab the T-Pod, and get back here before Splinter knows anything."

"If my opinion counts for anything, Donnie's right!" Mikey says.

"Hey, thanks Mikey," Donnie says softly. "But it doesn't."

"Didn't think so," Mikey says.

* * *

We're on the roof of a building, where Stockman is sitting. "I'm not Baxter Stockman. I am the Baxman! No, no! I am...I am the Suitinator! Oh, that's terrible! Captain...Punch-You-Hard..." He whines. "Why is this so difficult?!"

We surround him, weapons in hands. I'm between Leo and Raph.

"I kinda liked the Suitinator," Mikey whispers.

Stockman looks up and notices us. "You guys again?!"

"Alright, Stockman," Leo says. "Nobody wants to hurt you."

"We don't?" Raph asks. "Did I miss a meeting?"

"That makes two of us," I whisper.

"We just want the T-Pod," Leo explains.

"Give up my source of power?" Stockman growls. "Why? So you can laugh at me? Throw me in a dumpster?!"

Our eyes widen, but Raph smirks. "Sounds good to me," he growls. He charges, but is suddenly blown back by one of Stockman's fans in his arm. I roll my eyes. Hothead.

We charge at the same time, but he blocks Donnie and Mikey with his arms. Leo slices them off, and is controlled by a little robot thing that came from the arm. It jumps on his head, and he tries to take it off. He runs around, shooting lasers everywhere.

I glare. "Hey, Stockman!" I yell. I run towards him and slice my blade across his armor. It doesn't fall off, and my eyes widen. Whoa. I try again, but no avail. Suddenly, he grabs me in his armor's arm and starts swinging Mikey by his nun-chuck chain in the other.

He throws Mikey to Raph, and Leo slices the chain. Donnie jumps in front and suddenly, his eyes catch mine. His staff suddenly has a blade at the tip, and thrusts it forward. Stockman throws me at Donnie and snaps the staff in half.

"Hey!" Donnie yells. He throws the snapped staff to the side, and we all charge.

In a blur, we're held in a ball and throw into the dumpster. "Foolish turtles!" Stockman laughs. "Did you really think you could defeat me?!"

"Well, yeah," I answer innocently.

As he carries on with his whole I'm evil-and-swear-revenge-blah-blah-blah thing, I roll my eyes. This is getting old. Suddenly, his armor grows...well, it improves.

"What's happening?!" I ask Donnie.

"Stockman and the T-Pod..." Donnie murmurs. "They're—" His eyes are wide with fear. "Merging. They're becoming one single entity."

"The Stockman-Pod..." Mikey says in awe.

* * *

We scream and get out of there as soon as possible. We run away, Stockman in pursuit.

"The Stockman-Pod's right on top of us!" Mikey screams.

"Stop calling him that!" Raph yells. "That's a stupid name!

"Split up!" Leo orders. "He can't follow us all!"

"No way!" Mikey protests. "He's gonna follow me!"

"Why would he follow you?" Leo asks.

"They always follow me!" Mikey screams.

"Stop being paranoid and just do it!" Leo snaps.

We split up, taking different streets. I run down a street on my right, the Stockman-Pod not following me.

Mikey screams. "I told you he was gonna follow me!"

I roll my eyes and stop by the dumpster. I see a yellow tabby cat. She meows. "Whiskers?" I ask. She rubs up against my hand and I smile.

"Annie!" Leo yells. "This is a mission, not a reunion with a cat!"

I scratch Whiskers' head. "It's Alli's cat," I say. She jumps away and pads off into the night, towards Alli's apartment.

* * *

We escape into the lair, but it's too dark. "Where's the light?!" I hiss. Suddenly, I bump into someone's shell. "Who's shell was that?"

Suddenly, the light is on, and I look up. I'm not on anyone's shell. I'm on Donnie's plastron. I blush and stand up straight.

"Ah!" Leo yells. "Sensei!" I look to see Splinter standing in the light.

"And where have you been?" he asks.

"Nowhere...?" Raph tries.

"How did you get so hurt?" Splinter asks. I look down.

"Oh, that...um...we were...uhm," Leo stumbles.

"Hit..." Raph says.

"By a.." Donnie adds.

"Bus?" Mikey says.

Splinter raises his eyebrow.

"Hit by a bus?!" Donnie hisses.

"Well, what was I supposed to say?!" Mikey asks. "Meteor? Cow? Flying building?!" The two brothers glare at each other.

"Enough!" Splinter yells. We stand up straight. "Tell me what happened."

* * *

"And then I threw hot cheese in his face, and ran away," Mikey explains.

"Very resourceful, Michelangelo," Splinter compliments. "But I am still highly disappointed in you all. The first rule of being a ninja is do no harm! Unless you mean to do harm. Then do lots of harm!"

"You're right, Sensei," Leo says sadly. "I guess we did make a mess of things."

"So," Splinter starts. "What do you think would be a fitting punishment?"

Leo exchanges glances with his brothers. "We need to clean up our mess."

Splinter nods in agreement. "Yes. You must stop this Stockman-Pod."

"But, Sensei," Donnie says. "That guy's already kicked our shells—" He looks at me. "—and wings. And now he's even more powerful. How do we defeat him?"

"I know!" Raph says eagerly. "I'll hit him really hard."

"Brute force is not the answer," Splinter says. "You will need to rely on your ninja training."

"Excuse me, Sensei, but ninjas never have to go up against guys in armor!" Mikey says. Splinter glares at him, and Mikey sees the painting behind him. "Oh. I mean, ninjas always have to go up against guys in armor."

"Nice save," Raph mutters.

"Sensei," Leo says. "What was their secret?"

"They understood that you do not fight the armor. You fight the man inside," Splinter explains.

We exchange glances. Mikey smile. "Why are we all looking at each other?" I face-palm.

* * *

"Are you sure this is gonna work?" Donnie asks.

"Like Sensei said," Leo says. "Don't fight the armor, fight the guy inside. And one thing we know about bad guys...they love chasing Mikey!"

"Guys!" Mikey yells. "Stockman-Pod's got missiles!" At once, several missiles are fired at us, exploding our hiding place.

The turtles swing chains around and wrap Stockman in them. He struggles to free himself.

I jump down and smirk at him. "Now who's trembling in terror...ah!" He breaks free of the chains and grabs me. "Let go!" I scream.

He throws me into the nearest building, and I crash through it.

"Annie!" I hear Donnie scream.

"That's it!" Raph yells. "You're going down!"

I struggle to get up, but I fall again. I run my hand over my face. It's completely covered in blood. I cough and close my eyes.

I've gotta stop Stockman. I force myself to get up and look out the window. "M-Mikey!" I yell. He turns and I smile. "Pass me one of your nun-chucks!" He throws one to me, and I smile. I run to the greenhouse Leo fell through and grab the bee hive.

I use the chain in the nun-chuck to swing it around the pole above Stockman. He's cornered the turtles, and I glare. I jump off, bee hive in hand.

"Any last words?" Stockman asks.

"Just one," Leo says, smirking. "Bees."

"Bees?" Stockman asks, confused.

"Bees!" I yell. I swing to him, jump up onto his armor and stuff the hive into the opening, right by his head. I jump down, landing on my feet. My legs wobble. I've gotta get this ninja thing down.

We line up: Mikey, Donnie, me, Raph, and Leo. Mikey attacks, then Donnie, then me, then Raph, and finally Leo.

He falls back onto the ground, and Leo stabs his katana right into the T-Pod. Stockman comes out of the armor, and smiles nervously. He's covered in bee stings.

"So...we'll call it a tie...?" he asks nervously.

I turn to Raph. "Wanna call it a tie, Raph?"

He cracks his knuckles and smirks evilly. "Not yet." We throw him in a dumpster. "Now it's a tie," Raph says, before shutting the lid.

We cheer and I high-five Donnie. I hold out the nun-chuck to Mikey. "Here, dude." He takes it and smiles.

* * *

Once we're at the lair, I sit in the living room, typing away on my laptop to Alli. Suddenly, I hear the turtles scream from the dojo. I roll my eyes, knowing it's no real threat.

I smile to myself. I've helped three missions with the turtles. I smile at earlier. Donnie, Leo, Mikey and Raph obviously care about me, telling by the way they fought after I was thrown into the building. I lay back on the couch and close my eyes. I've never felt more safe in my life.

I know I can't be in any danger alone now. Why? Because I've got four teenage mutant ninja turtles to protect me.


	8. Metalhead

~Chapter 8~

Metalhead

The Kraang blast their guns at us, all five of us dodging each an every one.

"Keep moving!" Leo orders. I run besides him and Donnie. "Don't let them surround you! Failure is not an option!"

"Technically, failure is always an option," Donnie says.

"You know what else is an option?" Raph asks as he comes up besides us. "Slapping you!"

I roll my eyes and dodge another blast. I land next to Donnie. "Mikey! On the right!" he yells.

"Your right or my right?" the orange-masked turtle yells back. He flips, dodging several blasts.

Donnie smacks his staff across a Kraang's head, but it does nothing. "Are you kidding me?! I hate this thing!" The Kraang turns on him, but suddenly has Raph's sai in its head.

He rips it out and glares at Donnie. "Nice work. When we're done here, there's a marching band that needs a majorette."

I slice my blade across a Kraang, making it fall and a brain thing crawling out. "Again, gross," I mutter.

"Kraang," one says. "The present is being a positive time to be testing of the energy cannon."

The Kraang open a door, where a huge cannon emerges. We look at the cannon.

"Everyone, stand your ground!" Leo orders. Suddenly, the cannon makes a sound, and a pinkish color fills it up. "On second thought, run!"

The cannon shoots out a beam of power, and we dodge it. Another one, dodge. Once more, dodge. One more, dodge. When it aims at Donnie, he ducks, but his staff burns and breaks.

"Oh, come on!" he shouts in frustration.

"Dude!" Mikey yells. "Your weapon just exploded!"

I duck behind a crate, and Donnie joins me. "How am I supposed to fight advanced alien technology with a stupid stick?!" he yells. I shrug.

We jump up and the Kraang cannon corners us. I glare at them.

"Kraang," one says. "Destroy those who call themselves the turtles with that which is the signal is the signal that is given by me."

I smile at an idea. I reach into my belt and pull out a ninja star. I throw it and it bounces everywhere, before hitting the forklift and destroying the cannon. We escape as the brain things race out.

"Dumb luck," Raph says.

"Wasn't luck, my friend," I answer, smiling. "And dumb had nothing to do with it."

I see Donnie pulling something out of the window. "Hey. Give me a hand with this."

"A hand with what?" Leo asks.

* * *

"We're carrying this thing because...why?" Raph asks. Him and Donnie carry a Kraang.

"Don't you wanna understand how these things work?" Donnie asks.

"I know how they work," Raph says. "You hit 'em until the brainy you surprise pops out."

"That's your problem, Raph," Donnie says. He drops the Kraang on the hole. "You never think things through."

The Kraang stares at me with lifeless eyes. "Was that supposed to fit?" Raph asks, looking at him.

Donnie kicks it, trying to get it down the sewer hole. I push it down, and we take it down.

* * *

Once we're at the lair, I type away on my laptop, checking a website Alli and I made a while ago. Donnie sits next to me, looking over the Kraang. Hachiko lays down besides me.

"This technology is light-years ahead of anything I've ever seen!" he exclaims. He holds a piece of it next to me.

I look at it from the corner of my eye. "No."

"Neither do I!" Donnie says. "But I can't wait to find out!"

I roll my eyes and smile. Donnie can be such a geek sometimes. But he's the closest friend I have.

Splinter comes into the room, a staff in his hands.

"Look, Spike," Raph says to his pet turtle. "Donnie got another stick to break."

Hachiko yawns besides me and rests his head on my lap. I chuckle, looking at his face.

"With all due respect, Sensei, I can't keep fighting alien technology with a six foot staff," Donnie says, face falling. "I was hoping to upgrade my weapon."

"Hm," Splinter says. "A seven foot staff. Interesting." I giggle to myself.

"No, I mean using modern technology," Donnie says.

"Ah," Splinter says. "A solar-powered staff." I let out a chuckle, and look at Donnie's angry face.

"I'm serious, Sensei," he tells him.

"I know," Splinter says. "And yes, you may upgrade your weapon."

"That's totally unfair!" Donnie shouts. "You can't just say—" He stops once he realizes what his sensei just said. His beautiful eyes widen. "Wait, did you say yes?"

"Ninjas have improved their arsenal for centuries," Splinter tells the purple-masked turtle. "We are masters of adaptation."

Donnie smiles. "That's great! 'Cause with this technology, I'll be invincible! What should I make? Electric sais? Multi-shot shurikens? Plasma swords?! I just gave myself goosebumps!" He turns to me. "You wanna feel? Eh?"

I smile and rub Hachiko's head. "Pass," I say.

"But remember," Splinter warns his son. "Technology is a means, not an end. It is you who must prevail in battle, not your weapon. Combat is not a video game."

"That's it!" Donnie exclaims as he drags the Kraang to his lab. "I'll turn combat into a video game! Thanks, Sensei!" He slams the door of his lab.

Suddenly, I feel someone behind me. I turn to see the youngest of Splinter's sons. "What?"

"Donnie likes you," he whispers.

My eyes widen. "No he doesn't! I know he doesn't! We're just friends!"

Mikey smiles. "Alright. Whatever."

I turn back to my laptop. Wait, is it true? Does he like me?

* * *

"Hey, guys!" I call. "Check out this post I got!"

"Hang on, Annie," Raph says. "I just have to destroy Lame-on-ardo." I turn to see them playing some game. I focus my attention back on my laptop.

"So what's up?" Raph asks, as him and Leo sit down besides me.

"My friend and I set up a message board to collect unusual sightings around New York," I say. "People send in pics, videos. I also get some stuff that may help us track the Kraang and find my dad. Like this video of a gas explosion." I pull up a video of a Kraang emerging out of a gas explosion.

"A Kraang—Droid," Leo says.

"Where?!" Mikey screams. He falls into the water.

Leo turns to me. "We'll check it out tonight."

"Why not now?" I question.

"Because it's daytime," he explains. "We can't let anyone see us."

I shut my laptop. "Well I can." I head for the exit, but Leo stoops me.

"Annie, think about this," he warns me. "It could be dangerous."

"You know what else could be dangerous?" I ask. "Standing between me and my father." I cross my arms and glare at him.

He holds up his hands in defense and lets me pass.

* * *

I duck behind a crate as I watch a Kraang walk towards an abandoned warehouse.

"Okay, Kraang creep," I murmur. It presses a button that opens the warehouse door. It walks in. "Lead the way."

I get up and quietly walk into the warehouse. I hide behind a crate, watching two Kraang having a conversation.

"Is that which is the unstable mutagen ready for using in the experiment that Kraang is ready to begin?" one asks.

"The unstable mutagen will be tomorrow unleashing in the water supply," the other says.

My eyes widen and I sit down. I cover my mouth. "The water supply? Oh, no." I slap my hand over my lips. I'd been a little too loud with that. I turn back to the Kraang convo.

"Many infected humans will mutation. This is being a good way to perfect the mutagen to the point of perfection." One of them walks away, leaving the other one alone.

I gently lean on the crate to support myself, but accidentally knock down a fire extinguisher. The Kraang stops, and I scurry away to the crate across from the other one. I sit down, wrapping my hands around my knees. The Kraang comes closer, and the only thing to do is to calm my ragged breaths.

* * *

Suddenly, I find myself muttering to myself. "Think ninja. Think ninja." I smile once I see a window. I gasp too loudly, and scurry to the left. I hide behind another crate, and throw a small piece of metal at the window, making it flip open and shut. I grab a pipe and run towards the Kraang.

I summon my strength and whack the pipe across its head. It turns to me. I gasp. It tilts its head, like Hachiko does when he hears the word 'food.' I take the pipe and slam it into the Kraang again, knocking it out of the window. I take deep breaths, trying to calm my racing heart. I drop the pipe and run out of the warehouse.

* * *

"Where are they?!" I hiss to myself. "Oh, come on! They're always out at this time of night."

Suddenly, I hear someone yell. I look up. "Hello? Guys! It's me!"

The turtles jump down.

"Guys! I was just looking for you!" I frown. Leo, Raph, Mikey. "Wait, weren't there four of you?"

Suddenly, something slams into the dumpster behind me. I shriek. The dumpster falls over, and a small robot comes out, standing in front of me.

"Still, it's stealthier than the real Donatello," Raph says, smiling.

"What the heck is that?" I ask.

"It's Donnie's latest, brilliant creation," Leo explains. "Metalhead."

"Catchy name, huh?" Mikey asks, putting an arm around the robot. "My idea."

I still stare at it in awe. Donnie made this? Out of Kraang technology? Wow. Impressive.

Suddenly, a megaphone comes out of its mouth. "**Oh, sorry, Annie,**" Donnie says. "**I'm still getting used to the controls.**" I cover my ears. "**Whoops**!" Metalhead's mouth closes. "**Megaphone button got stuck.**" He chuckles.

"Guys, we gotta do something!" I say. "The Kraang are gonna poison the city's water supply with mutagen!"

"The whole city will become a disaster area!" Leo says.

"**There'll be mutants everywhere!**" Donnie/Metalhead adds.

"Wow!" Mikey says in awe. "Think of all the friends we can make!" We glare at the youngest turtle. Even Metalhead turns its head to look at him. "Excuse me for being a glass half-full kind of guy."

After a moment, Leo speaks. "Lets go!"

"**Yeah**!" Donnie/Metalhead yells. "**The Kraang don't stand a chance!**" Leo stops him. "**What?**"

"Donnie, I need you to hang back," Leo explains. "Metalhead is just too clumsy. It'll get in our way."

"**Clumsy?!**" Metalhead's arms spread out wide, crashing into the dumpster. He looks at the damage. "**I did that on purpose to emphasize my point.**"

"You're not coming, Donnie," Leo says. "Annie? You coming?"

I look at him, and then Metalhead. "I'll stay here with him." He nods, and the run off.

I place my hand on Metalhead's shoulder and stare into the robot's eyes. He hangs his head in sadness.

* * *

We're perched on the roof of the building next to the Kraang warehouse.

I stare down at the building, which windows are glowing pink from the Kraang's guns.

I see Metalhead's head turn to me, and stare. I turn to it, and it suddenly turns back to the building.

_He's staring at me! Donnie's staring at me!_

"**So,**" he says. He chuckles. "**You like heavy metal?"**

I smile. "You mean in texture or music?"

"**Uh...both**?" Donnie asks.

"Then yes in both," I say, chuckling.

We sit in a silence, not awkward or comfortable, and stare down at the warehouse. Suddenly, things take an unexpected twist.

"**Look at her,**" I hear him whisper. "**She's so beautiful. With this moniter, she can't tell I'm staring.**"

I turn to him. "You do know that's not muted, right?"

I hear him shriek, and then laugh nervously. "**Of course. If it was muted, you couldn't hear me joking!**" Suddenly, the megaphone comes out. "**Man, I hope she bought that.**"

"That's the megaphone," I say, covering my ears.

"**I know,**" he says. He closes Metalhead's mouth and turns back to the warehouse. "**So, how do you think the fight's going?**"

Suddenly, a blast shoots at us, knocking us both back. We turn to look at the warehouse. "There everywhere! Run!" Mikey screams.

I turn to Metalhead. "Not great."

Metalhead turns to the warehouse. "**They're in trouble! I've gotta help them!**"

My eyes widen. "No**!**" I grab the robot's arm. "It's too dangerous!"

But Metalhead rips away from my grasp. "**I've gotta. I'll be fine. Trust me, Annie.**" He stares at me, and I wish I could stare into those beautiful reddish-brown eyes.

He jumps down, and crashes through the roof. I gasp, and look down the hole.

"What are you doing?!" Leo yells. "What is wrong with your arms?!"

"**My...hands aren't on my hips?**" Donnie/Metalhead asks. They're spread out in an awkward angle.

"No!" Leo shouts. Raph face-palms.

"**Sorry,**" the robot speaks. "**Forgot to press B.**" In a flash, the robot's hands are on his hips.

The Kraang are in a circle around Metalhead, surrounding Donnie's invention. They aim their guns, and blast. No!

* * *

The blasts from the guns do absolutely nothing to harm Metalhead. They just bounce off, leaving the Kraang looking confused.

"**Now it's my turn!**" Metalhead's hand shrinks into its arm and is replaced with a gun. "**Eat hot laser!**" Lasers shoot the Kraang, defeating each of them in one shot. "**You want some of this?! Whoo! Yeah, baby!**" Donnie laughs as Metalhead's hand comes off and hits the Kraang, and reattachs itself on its arm. "**Hey, Raph! How does it feel to be shown up by a toaster?**" Raph glares at the robot.

"Burn!" Mikey yells.

"**Yeah, I thought that was a good one,**" Donnie/Metalhead says, the robot putting its hands on its hips.

"No!" Mikey shouts. "Burn!" He points behind Metalhead, where Kraang sneak up behind him.

"**Oh, right,**" the robot says. It whips around and fires...fire at the Kraang, destroying them. Suddenly, he turns and aims at the turtles, almost incinerating them.

"Dude!" Mikey yells.

"**Oh, sorry, Mikey,**" it says.

"Donnie, watch the friendly fire!" Leo shouts.

Metalhead keeps shooting at the Kraang. "**Here's some for you! And some for you! And, oh yeah, I saved a little for you, too! How'd that taste?!**" Suddenly, one of the lasers hits a canister of something, and it explodes.

I gasp and jump down, landing next to the turtles. "You guys okay?" I ask. They nod.

Suddenly, Donnie's voice is heard. "**Uh oh. Guys, if you can hear me, you might wanna run!**"

I turn to see Metalhead, a brainy thing on its head. It walks towards us. "**The ones that which are called turtles will now be called turtles that are destroyed!**" I gulp. That so did not sound like my purple-masked friend.

"Whew," Mikey sighs. "I was really afraid at the beginning of the sentence, but then I sort of just lost interest towards..."

"That makes two of us," I say.

Suddenly, Metalhead's laser comes out, and aims at me. "Okay," I gasp. "Now I'm afraid again. Ah!" I scream.

I dodge the blast as we surround the robot. We attack it. "Give him everything you've got!" Leo yells.

We fight it with all our strength, but it won't take any visible damage. "He's gotta have a weak spot!" I yell.

"This always works," Mikey says. He kicks the robot between the legs, but hurts himself instead. "Ow! Well, usually."

Suddenly, Metalhead smacks Mikey, then Leo, then Raph, and I stand at it. It hits me, making me fall back. "Ow!"

"**Now Kraang will destroy you,**" one of them says. "**Which one wants to be first to be destroyed by Kraang?**"

"Me!"

I look up to see Donnie, jumping down from the roof. He twirls his staff and glares at Metalhead.

"Donnie!" I yell, relieved.

"Banging entrance, dude!" Mikey says.

"You guys deal with the droids," Donnie orders. "I'll handle Metalhead."

As the turtles fight the Kraang, I jump to Donnie's side. "Not alone, you won't."

Donnie nods, and his elbow brushes up to my arm. I blush. Wait, why? Donnie's my friend, not anything else! So why blush?! I glare at Metalhead and suddenly, his hand comes off and charges at Donnie. He dodges, but Metalhead shoots a laser at me. I unfold my wings and dodge it. Suddenly, a blast melts right into my left wing. I scream in pain and fall to the ground.

Donnie gasps. "Annie!"

I smile weakly and get up. "I'll be fine." We whack our weapons across Metalhead, but it doesn't do anything. Suddenly, Metalhead's eyes come off and explode next to us. I dodge, falling back on Donnie.

He smiles to himself. "That might work," he murmurs. "Hey, Kraang!" As he shouts insults at the robot, the robot retorts back. Donnie gives him a hard glare. "Just come get me!" My eyes widen.

"No!" I hiss.

But Donnie doesn't listen. Metalhead shoots eye blasts at him, and Donnie dodges it. He jumps and lands on the opposite side of Metalhead, next to me. The metal pole behind Metalhead collapses, and I close my eyes. Donnie and I huddle close together, and Donnie sticks out his staff to help block the pole.

When I open my eyes, Donnie's staff is in Metalhead's chest. Donnie and I smile.

"Booyakasha!" Donnie yells.

"Sounds weird when he says it," Mikey says.

"Sounds weird when you say it," Raph replies.

Metalhead speaks for the last time as a Kraang. "**That which is the revenge will be had on those who call themselves the turtles...and bird-kid.**" Metalhead's mouth closes, and the brain thing jumps on Donnie's head before scurrying away.

"Nice job, bro!" Mikey says, smiling.

"Way to go, Donnie," Leo says.

I smile at the purple-masked turtle. "I agree. Totally awesome, dude." He blushes slightly.

"Yeah, not bad," Raph says. "Except for the part where you built that thing in the first place. And the part where it broke. And the part where it tried to kill us. And the part—"

"Okay! I get it!" Donnie says, frowning slightly. I place a hand on his shoulder and smile to lift his sad spirits.

* * *

While the three turtles are playing a game, I sit near Donnie, pretending to look at my laptop screen, but really watching Donnie work with his scientific tools.

Splinter walks over to him. "What troubles you, Donatello?"

Donnie sighs. "This was all my fault, Sensei." My heart weeps for him. Wait...why?!

"You are responsible, yes," Splinter agrees.

Donnie looks down. "Yeah."

"Responsible for destroying the mutagen, responsible for saving the people of the city, responsible for defeating advanced technology using ingenuity, bravery, and a stick," Splinter says, smiling.

I smile at Donnie, who also has a smile on his face. He stands up.

"Thanks, Sensei," he says. "Maybe you're right."

"I am," Splinter says.

"I guess with proper training, there's nothing better than a wooden stick," Donnie says, smiling. He holds up his invention. "Except a laser guiding missile launching wooden stick!" He stands it up, and it makes a weird beeping noise. "It's not supposed to do that!" He turns to his brothers. "Run!"


	9. Monkey Brains

~Chapter 9~

Monkey Brains

After a few weeks of hanging out with the turtles, only one thing nags me. Telling April about my mutant powers.

I still haven't told her, since she might not want me to be a mutant. It's hard to explain.

I type away on my laptop, and balance between answering Alli online and feeding treats to Hachiko. He balances on his hind legs, trying to get the box on the kitchen table. Since I'm sitting at the table, I move the box further away from the Akita. He growls, and suddenly jumps onto the table, grabs the box, and runs out of the room.

"Hachiko!" I yell. I abandon my laptop and run after my dog. "Get back here!"

He jumps the stairs and runs into Donnie's lab. I run after him, tripping on a piece of metal. Hachiko drops the box and barks, stealing another treat. I roll my eyes and glare at Hachiko.

"Alright, boy," I say, leaning on my arm. "You win this round, okay?" He barks and licks my face, placing his paw onto my forehead.

* * *

I grab my laptop and race to Donnie's lab, where the turtles gather around the purple-masked turtle. He's drawing on some chart with a marker. He doesn't seem to know the others are around him.

"Whatcha up to, Donnie?" Leo asks, breaking the silence and Donnie's concentration.

"Just putting the finishing touches on my master plan," Donnie announces.

"Master plan?" Raph asks.

"Yeah," Donnie says. "To get Annie to hang out with me." The turtles laugh at the scientist. My face reddens. Wha...?

"Try this," Leo suggests. "'Annie, do you want to hang out with me?'" I face-palm.

"It's not that simple," Donnie says, waving the marker. "I have to prepare for every possible response to maximize my chances of success."

"Aww," Mikey coos. "That's so romantic."

Donnie hooks the chart onto a board and rolls it in front of his brothers. He clears his throat. "Yeah, for instance, if Annie says she can't because she has homework, then I will suggest an informal study session and serve healthy, brain-stimulating snacks."

I smile. Dude, I'd hang out with you even if I had a truckload of papers for school. I take out my phone and zoom the camera on the chart. I snap a pic of it before shoving it back into my pocket.

"Well, what if she says she can't because you're a total nerd?" Raph asks.

Donnie's face still holds the cute smile. "Ah, that's this thread here. I will list my non-nerdy qualities and suggest activities that will highlight my coolness, such as skateboarding, or shark wrestling."

I walk into the room. "Hey, guys!"

Donnie shrieks as he turns the chart over. "Hey, hey, An—hey, Annie," he stumbles.

I smile. "Hey, Donnie." I turn to the turtles and open my laptop. "You guys gotta check this out." I pull up a news video.

"'Renowned neurochemist Dr. Tyler Rockwell has been reported missing,'" a reporter says. "'I spoke with Rockwell's colleague, Dr. Victor Falco.'"

"'I hadn't heard from him in days, so I stopped by his lab,'" Falco says. "'The place was a mess, and he was gone. I fear the worst.'" I shut the laptop.

"So?" Raph asks.

"So, the Kraang have been kidnapping scientists from all over the city, including my dad." The thought of him in Kraang clutches makes me sick. "Maybe that's what happened to this Rockwell guy."

"Or they may not be connected at all," Leo says.

"There's only one way to find out," I answer. "We should go to that lab and look around."

"Annie's right," Donnie says. "We should check it out. What's that? You guys are busy? Guess it's just the two of us, Annie." He leads me out of the room and I smile to myself.

"I bet that wasn't on his flowchart," I murmur. I take out my phone and look at the pic. My eyes widen. It is. That. Is. Spooky.

* * *

Donnie and I kneel down to open the door of the lab. After a minute, the door opens. I look at Donnie, who has some kind of lock in his hand.

"There isn't an electronic lock out there my digital lock pick can't crack," he whispers proudly.

"Smooth," I say, smiling. He chuckles.

I turn on a little flashlight and we walk around in the lab. It's a mess. "Wow," Donnie murmurs. "This place is a wreck."

I shine the light over to a cage. My mind immediately flies to Hachiko. "Ugh. He must've been experimenting on animals." I shine the light on a dentist-like chair. I raise my eyebrows. Donnie whispers something to me, but I don't pay attention.

We walk over to a desk, where Donnie goes through the drawers. He sees something green and glowing under a file in one. He lifts the file up and I grasp the green substance. "Mutagen!"

Suddenly, a shadow looks over the purple-masked turtle. I gasp. "Donnie! Look out!" I run to the side to find a light switch. I do, and flick it on. Donnie's pinning down a familiar human. "Dr. Falco!"

He shrieks. "What are you?!"

"Relax," Donnie says. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

"You already hurt me!" Falco protests.

Donnie gets off of him. "I mean...anymore."

I stand next to Donnie. "We're here to help."

* * *

"I'm sorry," Falco says. "I wish I knew something about your father, but I don't."

"So, what can you tell us about this?" Donnie asks, holding the canister of mutagen.

"Some shady, corporate goon paid Rockwell a lot of money to experiment with it," Falco explains.

I pull up a pic of the Kraang in human disguise on my phone. "This the guy?" I ask.

"That's him," Falco confirms.

"The Kraang!" Donnie murmurs.

"Well, I wanted no part of that stuff," Falco says, shaking his head. "Who knows what kind of...monstrosities could result." He turns to Donnie. "No offense."

"Some taken," Donnie admits.

"Is that what was in that cage over there?" I ask, motioning to the cage that made me think of Hachiko. "One of his...monstrosities?"

"Can we ease up on the M-word, please?" Donnie asks, frustrated.

"That's where he kept the monkey he was experimenting on," Falco tells me.

"Whoa," Donnie whispers. "It sure didn't like being locked up in there."

"Rockwell didn't treat it very well," Falco says, looking down.

"Maybe the Kraang didn't take Rockwell," I say. I turn to Donnie, my eyes widening. "Maybe the monkey went berserk, busted out of the cage and dragged him off. Or worse."

* * *

"So, how do you suppose we're gonna find Rockwell without any leads?" I ask Donnie.

"Well, we might know more once we take a look at his flash drive," Donnie says.

I frown. "What flash drive?"

"The one I swiped off his desk," Donnie says proudly, presenting it.

"Nice," I congratulate, smiling.

"Yeah," he says, blushing. He puts his hands on the back of his head. "Well, keeping cool under pressure is the hallmark of—"

Suddenly, a huge mutant monkey drops down, making us both shriek. Donnie steps in front of me and aims his staff at the roaring mutant. "Careful, Donnie!" I yell. "That's a dangerous mutant!"

"That makes two of us!" he yells back. I can tell he's determined to protect me and show off at the same time.

He twirls the staff and starts to strike, but is kicked back by the mutant. He lands next to me, his staff out of his reach. The monkey picks it up, sniffs it, and throws it to the side.

"Donnie!" I call as he gets up. "You okay?"

"I'm good," he mutters. He charges at the monkey and starts attacking, but it keeps dodging his attacks. The only hits that connect with skin are the monkey's punches, connecting with my purple-masked friend. Soon, he's getting mercilessly punched by the mutant. I shriek. "Donnie?!"

He's covered in black bruises and scratches. I'm just glad there isn't any blood...yet. "I was just figuring out his timing," he says, getting up. "He is gonna regret—ow!—that, and that too! And that! ...You have a lot of regrets, monkey! Ow!" Donnie screams as the monkey keeps pounding on him. Soon, Donnie's thrown back, and the monkey jumps on him.

* * *

Donnie keeps shrieking as the monkey keeps pounding him. Suddenly, the mutant throws Donnie at me. I kneel down and place my hands on him. "Donnie! Please say something! Talk!" My eyes widen in fear. He can't be dead! He can't be! Suddenly, he moans and I feel his chest rise and fall.

I hear the monkey come closer to us. It's done with Donnie, so now it wants me. I turn and back away from it. Suddenly, it grabs my shoulders and roars. I force my eyes to look into his. His expression turns from hostile to softness. I give a small smile and put my hands on the mutant's.

"It's okay," I whisper. "Everything's going to be alright." The monkey lets go of my shoulders and looks guilty. And confused. "What? What is it?"

It glares and roars again, before hopping onto the ladders and disappearing on top of the roofs. I look to see where it is, but another thought crosses my mind.

"Donnie!" I run to him. I place my hand on the back of his head. "Are you hurt?"

He shakes. "Just my pride...and my internal organs..." I wince as I try to help him up.

"Don't worry," I whisper. "We'll get you back home."

* * *

Once we're back at the lair, Donnie's still leaning on me. I don't mind it. The turtles stare at us.

"What happened?" Raph asks.

"Donnie got beat up by a lab monkey," I answer. They exchange glances and Leo takes Donnie.

"Annie, can you get an icepack?" he asks.

I nod and run I the kitchen. I reach into the freezer and grab a cold icepack. I turn to the exit, but stop once I hear laughing.

"You got beat up by a monkey?!" Raph laughs. "In front of your girlfriend?!"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Donnie yells. "And that monkey was a vicious mutant!"

"Yeah, I'm sure he went bananas!" Leo laughs. "No, no, no, no, no! He went ape!"

As the brothers continue to laugh, I walk into the room, glaring at them. Raph catches a glance of me and turns to his brothers. "No more monkey puns."

I give them a hard glare before sitting behind Donnie, placing his head on my lap and place the icepack on his forehead. He gives a small chuckle. "Are you laughing at him because he's hurt?!" I demand.

"No," Mikey says. "We were laughing at him because he was hurt by a...monkey!" He doubles over in laughter, along with his brothers.

* * *

I hook Rockwell's flash drive in my laptop and begin to go through it. Suddenly, I look up. "Guys! I think I've found something." The turtles sit around me. "These notes are hard to follow, but it looks like Rockwell was able to modify the mutagen."

"Why would he do that?" Leo asks.

"He thought he could use it to create a neurochemical that would temporarily give someone psychic abilities," I answer.

"You mean that monkey was psychic?" Raph realizes.

"It's more like he was reading our emotions," I answer. "After all, he was only hostile when Donnie was hostile."

"Yeah, well next time I'll be sure to think friendly thoughts when I'm beating a little sunshine into him," Donnie says, glaring. I give him a small smile, so no one but him can see it.

"Okay," Leo starts. "We need to track him down before he attacks someone else. Let's go up to the surface, spread out, and search."

"How are we gonna stay in contact?" the red-masked turtle asks.

Donnie stands up. "I have a little something that might help." He stands in front of us. "Gentleman, and lady, I give you—" He holds up a small phone-like object. "The T-Phone!" I smile. Awesome!

Mikey doesn't seem impressed. "Dude, I'm in charge of naming stuff! I would've called it...the T-Phone."

"I did call it the T-Phone," Donnie replies.

"Yeah, but I would've called it the T-Phone," he says. Raph rolls up his comic book and slaps Mikey with it.

I continue to stare at my laptop, but Donnie holds out a T-Phone. "And Annie," he says. "If you give me your cell number, I can patch it into our network."

I take the phone. "Sweet!" I type in my number.

"Yes!" Donnie whispers. "See that? I got her number!"

"Her number's on the fridge, you dork," Raph says.

* * *

"Guys!" I say into my phone. "Someone just spotted the monkey on Bleecker!"

"I think I'm on his trail," Raph says.

I turn and run down the street. "Where are they?" I ask.

"Mikey!" comes Leo's voice. "The monkey is heading your way!"

"I got eyes on him!" Raph yells. "He's heading south on Delancey!"

"I'm on Houston!" Donnie announces. "I'll cut him off!"

After a while, I hear Leo's voice. "He changed direction. Mikey, the monkey is heading your way!"

After running around, we all meet up in the same place. As the turtles start arguing about where the monkey went, I turn to the alley and walk towards the dumpster.

I open the lid and gasp. The monkey is in the dumpster, weeping. He turns to me and stares at me. I smile and reach for his hand. He takes it and I pull him out. Once he's out, he stares at me. I smile.

Suddenly, the chain from Mikey's nun-chuck lunges for the monkey and wraps around him. "Ha!" Mikey yells. "Gotcha that time!"

I turn back to the monkey and step closer.

"Great," Raph says. "We got the monkey, but we're not any closer to finding Dr. Rockwell."

The monkey roars in my face, and I lurch back. But I look in his eyes, and they seem...human. I gasp. "Actually, we're a lot closer than you think."

"What?" Donnie asks. "How?"

I swallow. "I think this is Dr. Rockwell!"

* * *

Back at Rockwell's lab, Falco inserts a needle in the panicking monkey. His eyes start to close.

"There," Falco says. "That should calm him down a little. Poor Rockwell."

"Is there anyway to get him back to normal?" I ask.

Falco looks sad. "I wouldn't even know where to begin. But I'll see if there's a way to give him some semblance of a normal life."I sigh and exchange glances with Donnie. How would Rockwell cope with his new mutant life?

* * *

"Man, this asteroid field is tough!" Mikey says to himself. He's playing some game on his T-Phone.

The red-masked turtle comes in with a pizza box. "Pizza's here!" He sets it on the table and we all grab a slice.

Soon, as I predicted, Mikey starts getting the scent of pizza. "Must eat pizza. But can't stop playing. But must eat pizza! But can't stop playing! But must eat pizza!" He screams in frustration. Suddenly, he sticks his face in the pizza box and grabs a piece with his mouth and gobbles it up.

Leo turns to me. "Sorry we didn't get any closer to finding your dad, Annie."

I shrug and put up a hand. "It's okay. Everything we learn about the Kraang is another piece of the puzzle."

"Yeah, but...psychic research?" The blue-masked turtle looks confused. "This is one weird puzzle."

I realize Splinter behind him. "I am curious, Ann Elizabeth," he says. "How did you know the monkey was really a human?"

I shrug. "I don't know," I admit. "Sometimes I just...get a feeling about things." I rest my head on my hand.

"A feeling? Hmm. Interesting." He walks away.

I close my eyes. I really miss my dad. I mean, April must, too, but I haven't seen him in almost eleven years, for crying out loud! She hasn't seen him for a few weeks. I take a bite of the slice of pizza in my hand.

"Hey, Donnie," Leo says to my friend. "How come you're not eating?"

Donnie's staring at his laptop. "What? Oh, I'm not hungry. Something's been bothering me. Falco said that Rockwell was experimenting on a monkey."

"And?" I ask.

"Well, according to these notes, he never had a monkey in his lab," Donnie says. "He was just using samples of monkey DNA."

"...We're still not following you," Leo says truthfully.

"If he never had a monkey, what broke out of that cage?" Whoa. I never even thought about that. But Alli might've.

"Must've been Rockwell," Raph says.

"Which means Falco put him there, and he's been lying this whole time!" he announces, angrily.

We exchange glances. Soon, they're heading out. I join them, but Leo stops me. "What?" I ask.

"I don't think you should come, Annie," he says. "Your wing might get injured like it did in that fight with Metalhead."

I swallow at the memory. One of the lasers from Metalhead's guns melted right through my wing. It's a little sore, but mostly healed up. "Don't bring it up," I murmur.

"You're not coming, Annie." With that, the turtles run out, Donnie giving me a sad glance.

* * *

I force my wings to carry me through the rainy night. I find Falco's lab and look in the window. I gasp at the sight.

Three of the turtles are already sprawled out on the ground, knocked out. The only one still awake is Donnie.

I open the window behind Falco to hear what they're saying. "A man who can read minds is unstoppable. Once I dispose of you, no one will be able to stand in my way!"

Donnie whips out his staff. "We'll see about that!" He attacks the scientist, but he easily dodges it. I notice he's holding Raph's sai. He throws it at Donnie, but the turtle dodges. Suddenly, Falco grabs the staff and slams Donnie into the wall.

"I really must admire that complex brain of yours!" Falco complimented. "You come up with so many ideas! By the way...do you really think you have a chance with Annie?"

My eyes widen. Donnie thinks he has a chance with me! He loves me! It all makes sense now! He loves me! Donatello loves me!

Donnie's face falls. "I can do this. I just have to fight without thinking. No thinking. No thinking. Don't think. Just do." He smirks and runs forward. Falco's expression changes to scared.

Donnie kicks him, and again. He attacks randomly, but it seems to be working for him. I smile when Falco lays down, looking weak and exhausted.

Before they can see me, I fly away from the lab. I fly to the nearest alley and jump down the manhole. I get to the lair, and act like I've been here the whole time.

"Ann Elizabeth?" Splinter asks. "May I speak with you for a moment?" I nod and follow him into the dojo, where we sit down. "Annie, it seems you have a rare gift. A sensitivity I have trained my entire life to develop."

"Don't worry," I say, smiling. "You'll get it."

"I did," he says. "It just took me a long time."

"That's nothing to be ashamed of," I say.

Splinter takes a deep breath. "What I am trying to say, is that I would like to train you to be a kunoichi—a female ninja."

My eyes widen. Awesome! "Wow! That's...quite an honor. If I do this, does that mean I can kick everybody's butt?" I hint some of my childhood in that question.

"We don't believe in using our abilities that way," the rat tells me.

I blush. "Oh. Oh, yeah. Me neither. ...But I could, right?"

"Yes," he chuckles, smiling. "But I warn you. It will be the hardest thing you've ever done. It will drain you mentally, physically, and spiritually."

I nod. "Well, can't be worse than high school." I get up and leave the room, and see the turtles are back. I walk past Donnie's lab, where he leans against the door.

"Hey, Annie," he says. "You...uh, wanna hang out tonight?"

I blush. "That sounds great, Donnie, but I can't. I'm training with Splinter to be a kunoichi!" I smile proudly.

"Oh." Donnie takes a quick peek behind the lab door and turns to me. "Ah. Well then, maybe we can train together sometime."

I smile. "Sounds great!" I walk away, punching the air as I'm out of sight. Yes!


	10. Revenge of the Shredder

~Chapter 10~

Revenge of the Shredder

I walk along the empty streets of the city, the turtles behind me. But they're acting too quiet for me to tell if they're behind or not. I don't hear anything. I glare.

Now's not the time to start messing with me. Hachiko disappeared this morning, but Alli found Mittens.

I glare and whip around. "You guys wanna speed it up a little?!" I yell, a little too harshly.

"Are you saying turtles are slow?" Donnie says. I jump, realizing he's behind me. So are the other turtles.

"That's a hurtful stereotype," Mikey says, feeling a little hurt. I immediately feel guilty about snapping at them.

"Trust us, Annie," Leo says. "We are better off keeping a low profile. We find people treat us better when they don't know we exist."

I smile apologetically. "Sorry. I'm just so excited to get you out of the sewers for a change."

"What are you talking about?" Raph asks. "We go out all the time."

"Yeah, but tonight you're gonna do something besides hitting people," I say.

"Aww," he groans.

"Don't worry," I say quickly. "You're gonna love this noodle place Alli and I found."

"And you're sure will be welcome?" Donnie asks nervously, tapping his fingers against the pole.

"Oh yeah," I assure him. "Mr. Murakami doesn't care what you look like. In fact, he won't even know what you look like. He's blind."

"Awesome!" Mikey says, receiving a smack on the head by Raph. "I mean for us, obviously."

I smile as we continue to the small noodle shop. When it's in sight, I see three shadows inside, beating up a fourth shadow. I gasp. "Oh, no!"

I run to the shop to see clearer, the turtles right behind me. "Who are those creeps?" Donnie asks me.

"The Purple Dragons," I growl. "They think they own the streets around here." I glare at them, beating poor Murakami up.

We crouch down near the door. "So much for not hitting people tonight," Leo says.

Raph smiles. "Oh well!"

They jump inside, and I watch them. "Booyakasha!" The Purple Dragons freeze and stare at the turtles.

"Alright, let him go," Leo growls. "You don't want any trouble."

"We, on the other hand, do!" Raph adds, grinning.

One Dragon's eyes widen. "Whoa! Those guys were serious! They really are giant turtles!" I'm guessing he's the leader, Fong. I've heard of him.

"You've heard of us?" Mikey asks, his blue eyes lighting up. "Dudes! We're famous!"

"That's bad!" Donnie hisses.

"Oh, right." Mikey's expression falls.

"Whatever you are, this neighborhood is ours!" Fong says. "So why don't you slither back to the ocean you came from?"

"Actually, we're freshwater turtles!" Donnie says. Uh-oh. Inner nerd kicking in. "I suspect we're derived from the diamondback terrapin, but it's possible we're a common—"

"Get 'em!" Fong demanded the other Dragons.

As the turtles attack the Dragons, I crawl on my hands and knees to get to Murakami. He's lying on the floor. I shake him. "Murakami-san?" He shakes and I look up.

Mikey eats some soup, but a Dragon is right behind him. I grab the top of a pot and throw it like a frisbee. It catches him in the side, making him fall and Mikey looking over to me. "Thanks, Annie!"

"You're welcome!" I call back. I help Murakami up and lead him towards the door. Suddenly, a Dragon throws something at Donnie, but he dodges, making it aim for me. "Duck!" I duck down at my own command, bringing Murakami down. We scurry out the door, where I leave Murakami on the side of the shop when I peek back in. The Dragons lean on the door, and I know they lost.

They run out, Fong yelling at the turtles. "This ain't over, Greeny!" Then, he's out of sight.

I chuckle at Donnie's _really?! _face. "Greeny? Really?! I wonder how many brain cells he put to work on that!" He crosses his arms.

Raph turns on Leo. "You just let him go?! What the heck was that?!"

"They weren't exactly a threat," Leo replies calmly. "They'd had enough."

"Dude!" Raph protests. "They were beating up a blind guy! There's no enough! Now they'll think we're wimps and don't have the guts to finish the job!"

I roll my eyes and lead Murakami into the shop. "Wow! That was great, you guys!" I help the noodle shop owner sit down on a stool. He smiles at me.

"Thanks, Annie," Donnie says dreamily. "Did you see when I caught that one guy and flipped him onto the counter? Did it look cool?" He chuckles. "I bet it looked cool." He looks at me expectantly. I blush and sweat.

"The coolest!" I say nervously.

Donnie's face falls. "You didn't see it, did you?"

I feel guilty, for the second time tonight. "No, I did not," I say truthfully.

"My friends," Murakami says. "I am indebted to you. Please, allow me to make you a meal, free of charge!"

"I think we can allow that," Raph says, smiling.

"What is your favorite dish?" the owner asks. I cover my ears. This reply is going to get loud. The turtles' eyes widen.

"PIZZA!"

* * *

Murakami moves around, adjusting pots, pans, and slicing food ingredients. I smile, making me think of the time I'd remarked how he represented a ninja.

"Murakami-san, that was awesome!" Donnie compliments. I smile at the fact he's using the same name I address him to.

Am...am I developing feelings for the purple-masked turtle? It wouldn't hurt our friendship, since he has a crush on me. I mentally shrug. I'll give it time to develop and then see if I still like him.

"You're like a ninja, but for food!" Mikey adds.

Murakami smiles. He lays out four trays of dumplings in front of the turtles. "Pizza gyoza!" he announces proudly.

"Pizza gyoza?" I whisper.

The turtles curiously look at it, each try one, and I swear, their eyeballs pop out of their heads. I can tell they like it.

"It's like I got a one-way ticket to flavorville!" Donnie says, eating another piece.

I hold up a bowl of soup. "This is really good too, you know." The turtles look at me, then go back to their gyoza.

I chuckle to myself. It's like I'm hanging out with four children I'm stuck babysitting. But I love them all. I just might have unsure feelings for Donnie.

"Murakami-san," Leo starts. "Do the Purple Dragons come around a lot?"

Murakami sighs. "Yes. They demand protection money, but I refuse to pay. They will surely return."

"Well, they wouldn't if someone hadn't wimped out," Raph says, directing those words at Leo.

* * *

At the lair, I sit across from Donnie on the couch, playing with my phone and drawing in my notebook. I sneak glances at Donnie and smile. He's so adorable.

Leo keeps hitting a punching bag, putting all his strength into it. I can tell he's mad about letting that Dragon go.

"Whoa, whoa, Leo!" Raph says, coming up from the punching bag. "I think he's had enough. You better let him go!" I hide a smile.

"I get it!" Leo says, glaring. "You're making fun of me for not mercilessly pummeling a helpless man!"

"Yes, I am," his red-masked brother says. "You showed weakness. Those guys only understand one language."

"Chinese?" Mikey asks. I face-palm as Raph jumps to his youngest brother.

"No!" he says. "Fists!"

Mikey smiles. "What about feet?"

He sighs. "They understand feet."

"That would make them bilingual," Donnie says.

Raph groans in frustration. "The point is we can't go soft on 'em!"

"To show mercy is not soft." I jump and turn to see Splinter. "It is a sign of true strength."

Raph doesn't seem convinced. "But Sensei, they're criminals! This is war!"

"A daimyo of the sixteenth century once said, 'In times of peace, never forget the possibility of war. In times of war, never forget compassion.'"

"...I'm guessing that guy lost a lot of wars," Raph says to himself.

Splinter glares and starts to swing his cane at his second-eldest son. When it it's close to him, he stops. Raph gasps. "You see? Mercy." Then, he swings it again, and it connects with Raph's arm.

"Ow!" he shrieks. "Okay, look. Compassion is great, but the Purple Dragons aren't gonna leave Murakami alone."

"So we'll track down the Dragons, an make sure they got the message," Leo says. "And if they didn't, we'll send them one. Special delivery!"

I face-palm. "Was that meant to sound tough, or stupid?" I ask.

Donnie speaks up. "How are we gonna track someone down when we can't talk to anybody?"

Everyone exchanges glances, and at once, five pairs of eyes are on me. I smile, knowing we're all thinking the same thing.

* * *

I tap the man on the shoulder. He turns around, and I look behind him, behind me, and lean to him. "I'm looking for the Purple Dragons."

The man looks nervous. "I...don't know what you're talking about."

I look around again, and then lean closer. "Don't worry. I can protect you. I'm an undercover cop."

"You look like you're sixteen!" the man protests.

_Fifteen, to be exact, idiot. _I smile. "I know." I lean on the crate of fish and pretend to examine my left hand. "I'm really good at this." Suddenly, the crate tips over, spilling the fish. I laugh nervously, and stand straight.

"Let me see your badge," the man says.

"Are you crazy?" I ask, folding my arms. "I can't carry a badge. That would blow my cover!"

The man scratches his head thoughtfully. "I suppose that makes sense."

I smile, knowing we're one step closer to the Purple Dragons.

* * *

The turtles and I stand on the roof of the building across of the tattoo place. "Annie, you said this was the place?" Leo asks me. I nod.

"Cool!" Mikey says. "Can we get tattoos? I wanna get one of my face on my face! It'll be like I'm wearing a mask, and the mask is me!" We stare at him. "I just blew your minds, right?"

"You know, they use needles for that," Donnie reveals.

"Can it, dorks!" Raph hisses. "There he is!"

I look to see Fong come out of the tattoo place and walk to the garage of the fortune cookie factory. We follow him and ready our weapons.

In a flash, we jump through the window, glass shattering everywhere. How it didn't hit me is a miracle, but I feel even more powerful than before. We land perfectly on the other side, seeing the Purple Dragons.

"Freeze, dirtbags!" Leo shouts. My eyes widen in disbelief as two familiar figures step out of the shadows. "Uh-oh," Leo murmurs.

"I think we can find them ourselves," one of them says. I take note of his accent. Is it wrong it reminds me of Puss in Boots? I'm just saying...

"Oh, man," Mikey murmurs. "It's Chris Bradford, my ex-friend, and...that other guy!"

"The name is Xever," he says. "So you don't forget, I'll write it on your shells...and those pretty wings." He whips out two knives I recognize as butterfly knives. "With these!"

* * *

As the fight continues, Leo holds his katana at Fong. "You're making me sorry I let you go!"

Suddenly, Xever comes up behind him, aiming at Leo, but I throw myself in front, taking the painful blow from the knives. I spit out blood and glare. My hair falls in front of my face, landing on my shoulders.

He smirks. "Never knew you were pretty trying to kill me."

I shudder. "Dude, you seriously think I'd like you? I have someone else in mind!" I blush, thinking of Donnie. I seriously hope he didn't hear that.

The fight carries on, and I catch a glimpse on an unconscious Donnie. My eyes widen as I see Bradford grab him by the neck. But my attention turns to Raph, coming next to me and glaring at Xever.

Suddenly, Foot Clan ninjas burst through the wall, surrounding us. I glare as one throws a star at me. I catch it in midair, smirking.

"Turtles, fall back!" Leo shouts.

"We're giving up?!" Raph yells. "Again?! Are you kidding me?!"

"Yes!" Leo yells back. "It's all part of my hilarious 'Let's All Live' routine!"

We get out of the building and I hear Xever yelling at us. "Hey! Stay and fight, you cold-blooded cowards!" I fly up and throw the ninja star at him, making him shut up.

* * *

We lay glumly at the lair, my eyes dropping with tiredness. I don't exactly need this Purple Dragon crap now; I need to be focused on one thing: finding Hachiko!

"Man!" Raph groans. "Could that fight have been any more embarrassing?" He punches the punching bag.

"Sure!" Mikey says. "We could've been hit in the face with pies." His brother growls at him.

"It's called fighting smart, Raph," Leo sighs. "The Purple Dragons have Bradford and Xever on their side now! Last time we barely beat those guys!"

"Yeah!" Raph says. "Because they're willing to fight to the finish! The only way to beat them, is to be just as ruthless as they are!"

"Raphael," comes Splinter's voice behind us. "This...Xever can cross lines that you won't. This may make him dangerous, but it does not make him strong."

"But Xever wins fights!" Raph protests. "Isn't that what matters? And he never shows anyone...mercy."

I look at Leo. He seems guilty about letting Fong go. I would be, too.

* * *

I walk to the noodle place at night for a nightly snack. Maybe I'll try those pizza dumplings Donnie loves so much. Besides, if we ever go out, I'd like us to have something to share as a couple. My heart beats faster at the thought.

Suddenly, the door is open. I frown. It's always closed. I walk in and gasp. The whole place is a mess, soup and chowders everywhere, splattering the floor and walls. I notice a paper, held up by a knife. A butterfly knife. I swallow a huge lump in my throat. No...

I run out of the shop and take a deep breath. Xever must've taken Murakami! No! Not him! My nails dig into my palms at the thought of Xever. He deserves a good slash with my katana.

Suddenly, when I'm pacing around outside the shop, I hear movement behind me. I jump to see the turtles. "Annie? What's wrong?" Leo asks.

My legs shake. "It's Murakami." I lead them into the messy shop. "Someone took him and left this." I point to the note on the wall.

"Sweet!" Mikey says. "Free knife!"

Donnie rolls his reddish-brown eyes. "The note, dummy!" He rips off the note and reads it. "'No more running. If you want the old man, meet us on the roof o the fortune cookie factory.'"

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Raph asks. "Let's bust in there and save Murakami!"

"Not so fast!" Leo says. "Think, Raphael!"

Donnie turns to me. "There's two words that don't usually go together!" I smile.

"This is obviously a trap," Leo says.

"Well, what choice do we have?" Raph asks him.

Leo smiles. "Maybe we do need to think more like Xever!"

"But Master Splinter said—" Donnie starts.

"I know!" Leo interrupts. "But Xever crossed the line dragging Murakami into this. He's gotta learn that we can cross the line, too!" He crosses his arms. "No more Mr. Nice Turtle!"

"Yes!" Raph says to himself. "I never liked Mr. Nice Turtle."

* * *

We wait on the roof. "Okay, he's strong, so speed and stealth are essential. Everybody know the plan?" We nod. "Mikey?"

"Yep," he says.

"Are you sure?" Leo turns to him.

"Yes," Mikey assures us.

"Tell me what it is," Leo says.

After some silence, Mikey looks scared. "Um...maybe she should go over it one more time?" He chuckles.

* * *

Bradford comes out of his dojo as Raph jumps down. But Leo jumps down on him, Donnie, Mikey and I tying him up and placing duct tape over his mouth. Raph slams a garbage can over him, and Leo and Mikey chain it up, locking it.

"Gentlemen, and lady," Leo starts. Donnie glares when he refers to me as 'lady.' "Welcome to the other side of the line!"

"Now I'm definitely gonna need a tat," Mikey says. Raph hits him.

The red-masked turtle and I pick up the garbage can. "Dang!" he yells. "This sucker's heavy!" I lose my grip and it falls, tumbling across.

I wince. "Sorry!" I slap my hand over my lips.

"Don't apologize to him," Raph tells me.

I blush. "I mean...sorry I didn't drop you harder!"

"There ya go," Raph says, smiling.

As we roll the can to the fortune cookie factory, Leo yells to it. "Cozy in there?"

A few grunts and mumbles are heard.

"Good!" Raph smirks.

We peak around the corner of the fortune cookie factory. Donnie swallows. "Uh-oh, you guys. Look!" He points up, where Murakami hangs, tied up by the roof. Xever stands over, smirking.

"Dude, Xever's a jerk," Mikey says.

I glare. "You're just now figuring that out? He is a jerk! He was hitting on me!"

We make it up to the roof, where Xever and the Purple Dragons await. "We're here, Xever!" Leo yells. "Now, let the noodle man go!"

"Sorry," Xever says. "There's been a change of plans!" Foot ninjas jump in front, ready to attack.

"Actually, there's been another change of plans!" Leo says. We lift the can up to reveal Bradford.

"I love it when a change of plans comes together," Donnie whispers to me. I smile.

"You let our friend go, and we'll let your friend go!" Leo says.

Xever laughs. "He's not my friend!"

We exchange glances. "Major backfire on that one, boys!" I hiss.

Xever starts to cut the rope Murakami's tied to. Raph leans Bradford over the side of the roof, ready to throw him.

"Uh, we're not kidding!" Leo says. "Okay? Stop, or we'll toss him!"

"Go ahead," Xever says. "It'll save me the trouble."

"Uh, Raph?" Leo asks.

With one look at Bradford, I can see the look of disappoint in Raph's green eyes. He sighs. "Ah, crud." He throws him back onto the roof.

Xever chuckles. "That's what I thought. Attack!" Immediately, the ninjas swarm forward.

* * *

We fight the ninjas, but immediately, more come forward. It's an intense battle, but neither side's backing down. Soon enough, I see Bradford, free of the ropes. I roll my eyes. Great!

Soon, we're surrounded by them. "Alright! Let's settle the score, pond-scum!" Bradford yells.

"We're the ones who didn't wanna throw you off the roof!" Donnie and I yell in unison.

Suddenly, I see Donnie, Mikey and Raph lying next to each other. No! "Guys!" Suddenly, a fist connects with my head, making me fall and shake my hurting head. I turn to see Xever, standing over me. I glare and flip over, just missing his kick. I take out my blade and slash it at him, but hit empty air instead. I'm kicked and punched until I land next to Donnie, my head resting on his shoulder. I blush, but I don't even have the energy to cover it up. Soon, Leo lays down next to us, Bradford and Xever standing triumphantly over us.

Xever chuckles. "See, Bradford? That is how you catch turtles and a pretty bird-kid. And next, I'll show you how to fillet them."

"You'd never caught them without me, and you know it!" Bradford argues.

"Oh, yes," Xever says. "What would we have done without your brave leadership from inside the trash can?"

Suddenly, Leo's katana is thrown to him. I look up to see Fong, crossing his arms and glaring. Leo and I give him smiles before Leo retrieving his katana.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," Xever continues. "It's time to cut these turtles into little peices. And then maybe take this pretty bird to our master." My heart smashes against my chest in fear of seeing the Shredder again.

Leo points his katana at him. "I don't think so!" He jumps up and slices the water tower above the enemies, letting the liquid flow and wash the enemies away. Suddenly, when the water clears up, two things cross my mind. Where's Mikey? And Murakami?!

We look over the edge to see Mikey holding Murakami. "I got him!"

"Nice save, Mikey!" Leo shouts. We pull him up.

* * *

"Accept this token of my gratitude," Murakami says. He hands us a small bundle. "Pizza gyoza!"

"Awesome!" Donnie speaks for the turtles. "Thanks, Murakami-san!"

"You're welcome, turtle-san," he replies.

The turtles bow, but Donnie's the first one to pick up. "Wait...how did you—"

"I do have other senses," Murakami sas, smiling. "Touch. Smell..."

We all look at Mikey, who cringes.

"You don't think we're weird and scary?" Leo asks.

"You saved my life," Murakami tells them. "Who am I to complain?"

Suddenly, Mikey hugs him, making the noodle shop owner smile. I hope he can tell that's Mikey.

* * *

Once we're back at the lair, Donnie tries to get me to try pizza gyoza. I shrink away from the food.

"Just try one," he says. "Sometimes things that don't seem like they don't go together actually make a great couple!" His eyes widen. "I mean food." He smiles.

I sigh. "Fine." I open my mouth and let him place the dumpling in. I chew and swallow. "Whoa! These are amazing!"

Since Donnie's too busy smiling, I steal his plate. He gasps as I eat another. "Like 'em?"

I nod. "Sorry. I just love them now!" I take the last one and break it in half. I hand a half to him. He takes it and smiles.

I smile, too. Maybe I do have a shot with him. We can be a cute couple. I hope.

I look out to the exit. But if Shredder finds out Bradford and Xever have failed, who knows what will happen? I'm just glad I have Donnie to protect me.


	11. Rescuing, Stopping, and Fighting

~Chapter 11~

Rescuing, Stopping, and Fighting

I walk out of my apartment, fixing my charm bracelet that I bought at a bookstore, along with a few books on math. I roll my eyes. I'm literally flunking math. April says I should just let Donnie tutor me, but I don't want him to go through that kind of trouble. I'm completely hopeless when it comes to math.

As I twist my charm bracelet, smiling at the four turtle charms: one blue, one red, one orange, and one purple. Next to the purple is a yellow dove. I smile.

Suddenly, a shadow crosses mine. I freeze. "Hm?" I look around, not seeing anything. I shrug and keep walking. Suddenly, when the shadow crosses mine again, I shriek. I look up to see a huge pigeon creature, squealing at me. I breathe heavily, and run from it.

I slide the corners and run from the bird. I see his claws outstretched for me, and I shake. I turn another corner and run into a bank. I slam the door shut and look out. I calm my breaths and sigh with a huge relief. Suddenly, its shadow comes and it flies to me. I shriek, but it suddenly smashe into the glass window of the bank. I flinch and walk out. The pigeon gives me a glance with its creepy bird eyes before flying away.

I wrap my arms around me. "My life has gotten really weird!"

* * *

"Guys! Guys!" I yell as I run into the lair, panting. I sit on the couch. "You'll never believe what happened to me!"

"Alright, Annie," Donnie says as he kneels down to me and places his hands on me. "Calm down. Are you okay?"

"I...am being hunted!" I say dramatically. "By a giant pigeon!"

After a second of silence, Raph starts laughing. That receives glares from all of his brothers. "I can't be the only one who finds that funny."

"It's not funny, Raph!" Donnie says angrily as he helps me up. "There's a creature out there trying to hurt my Annie!" My eyes widen and I turn to look at him. I see him blush. "Our Annie." I cross my arms. "Annie."

"This is serious," Mikey says. "I better get Splinter."

"We don't really need—" Leo's interrupted by Mikey throwing an egg and disappearing in a cloud of purple smoke. Splinter stands in his place.

"Michelangelo said you wanted to see me?" he asks.

* * *

"His talons were razor sharp!" I say. "He would've torn me to peices...if he hadn't slammed into the glass."

Raph chuckles, but quits it once he realizes everyone giving him glares. "Really? Just me."

Splinter glares and smacks him in the back of the head with his cane. "Raphael! Clearly Ann Elizabeth is upset."

"Yeah, dude!" Mikey adds. "That's so insensitive." He turns to me. "Do you need a tissue?"

I shrug. "I think I'm okay."

"I'll get you a tissue," Mikey insists, dropping another egg. He disappears, and reappears on my left side, between me and Donnie. "We don't have any tissues. Can I make you some soup?" He holds up another egg, but Donnie snatches I away.

"Stop it!" he hisses. He turns to me. "Don't worry, Annie. We won't let anything happen to you."

"Donnie's right," Leo says. "We're gonna set a trap for this pigeon man, and make sure he never bothers you again."

"Well, I know why we can use as bait," Donnie says.

"Bread crumbs!" Everyone stares at Mikey. "Pigeons eat bread crumbs."

Donnie rolls his eyes. "I meant Annie."

Mikey's eyes widen and he throws himself in front of me. "You're gonna let him eat Annie?! I thought you liked her!"

"Yeah!" I hiss, looking over the orange-masked turtle's shoulder.

"Don't sweat it," Donnie says. "We've got your back." I sigh with relief. Good!

"Alright, Mighty Mutants," Leo says. "Let's do this!"

"Mighty Mutants?" Raph asks, sounding lightly amused. "What? Dancing Dorks was already taken?"

We run towards the exit, but Splinter's voice stops us. "Wait!" We turn. "We do not yet know what you are facing. Perhaps you should study your enemy before confronting him."

"With all due respect, Sensei...it's a pigeon," Leo says, smiling.

"What you know is dangerous to your enemy," Splinter warns. "What you think you know is dangerous to you. I fear you are all becoming overconfident."

Leo smiles at his father. "Sensei, in the past few months, we've taken down giant spiders, plant creatures, alien robots, and an army of ninjas. Maybe we're not overconfident. Maybe we're just that good!" With that, we run out.

* * *

I walk around in circles in an alley. "Here I am, walking around in the big city! All alone! Oh, I sure hope no crazy pigeon man sneaks up on me. That would be the last thing I want!"

"What are you doing?!" Donnie hisses at me. I jump and whip around.

"You wanted me to be bait!" I protest. "Well, I'm bait!"

"That's not how bait talks!" Donnie tells me.

I fold my arms. "How do you know how bait talks?"

"I know bait doesn't talk back," he growls.

My eyes widen and I place my hands on my hips, glaring. Suddenly, the turtles come out from their hiding spots. "Ooh!"

"Oh, no you didn't!" Mikey says, before disappearing.

Donnie chuckles nervously as I stare him down with my glare. He scoots away. "Just...act natural." He disappears.

I sigh. "Here I am. Acting natural. Just totally defenseless against any, I don't know, hideous mutant pigeon guy who might happen upon me."

When nothing happens, I glare and walk around the alley. Suddenly, I hear a bird call, and turn around. I scream at the mutant, coming towards me in a flash.

* * *

I back away from the pigeon, falling. Suddenly, it's shocked with Donnie's taser-like gadget. The pigeon falls and the turtles tackle it, pinning it down. Donnie comes next to me and helps me up.

The pigeon cries out. "Okay, okay! Uncle! Geez Louise!"

I turn to Donnie, smirking. "And you said I wasn't good bait."

Leo stands over the pigeon. "Okay. Start talking, pigeon man."

"I have a name!" the pigeon protests.

"Yeah, we just don't care what it is," Raph growls.

The pigeon turns his head to face him, glaring. "It's Pete!"

"Why were you trying to hurt Annie, Pete?" Leo asks.

Pete's eyes widen. "Wait—she isn't April?"

I shake my head. "I'm April's sister."

"Oh." The pigeon looks confused. "But I was bringing her a message. From her father."

I gasp. "Let him up!" I turn to Pete. "What about him?"

Pete looks sad. "We were both guests of the Kraang. They poured some ooze on me and turned me into this!"

I flinch. "Ugh. That must've been horrible. Being turned into a...pigeon." I say the type of bird with disgust.

"Actually, I started out as a pigeon," Pete reveals.

"Told you the bread crumbs would've worked," Mikey says. Suddenly, Pete takes Mikey and starts shaking him.

"You've got bread crumbs?!" he asks excitedly.

"Um..." I start. "My father?"

"Oh, right." Pete drops Mikey and hands me a phone, which I'm guessing is Dad's.

A video plays on the screen. Dad is on there, not changed a bit in the eleven years we've been apart. I smile to myself to know he's somewhere I can find him, but the smile disappears once I realize he's in Kraang clutches.

_"Something terrible is about to happen," _Dad says. _"And, I don't know what, but it's extremely important that you get out of the city as soon as you can! Save yourself. Remember, I love you."_

I press the phone to my heart. "I love you, too, Daddy. We both do." I close my eyes and feel a hand lay on my shoulder. I'm guessing it's my purple-masked crush.

"Do you have any idea what he's talking about?" Leo asks the pigeon, turning to him.

"I'm just the messenger," Pete reminds him.

Donnie turns to me. "We've got to get you and April out of the city!"

Something inside me snaps. I whip around. "I'm not going anywhere without my dad!"

"But you heard him," Donnie protests. "Something terrible is gonna happen!"

I glare. "Then we'd better hurry!" Donnie stares at me, but I can tell I've won the argument.

"Can you tell us where the Kraang are holding him?" Leo asks.

"I can," Pete says, looking around. "But it's gonna cost you a lot of bread!"

"...We're talking about actual bread, right?" the blue-masked leader asks.

Pete nods. "Yeah. Sour dough!"

"Done!" Leo confirms, smiling.

"Let's roll!" Mikey says, throwing a smoke bomb.

* * *

We're gathered around some Kraang building, where my father is. Donnie opens the small door in the roof. "Piece of cake!"

I smile, unfolding my wings. "Let's do this!" I start to walk up, but Leo stops me.

"We need you to wait here, Annie," he tells me.

My eyes widen with anger. "Are you crazy?! My dad's in there!"

"Along with who knows how many Kraang!" he retorts. "This requires stealth and mobility! Leave it to the pros!"

I sigh, knowing they're right. I'm a good fighter, but I've only been training to be a kunoichi for a couple weeks. "I can't just do nothing!"

"You won't be doing nothing!" Leo replies quickly. He hands me a rope. "We need you to lower this rope when we give you the signal."

I sigh and take the rope, watching the turtles jump down. I roll my eyes and fold my wings back up. I won't be needing them.

* * *

**Donnie's POV **

After breaking into the Kraang facility, we're now in the control system.

"Donnie," Leo starts. "Hack into the system and see what you can find out about the Kraang's plot. Raph, you're with me. Mikey, stay with Donnie."

I glare at my oldest brother. "Why do I always get stuck with Mikey?"

"Hey!" he breathes.

"I don't want him," Leo says. "And I'm in charge."

"Well, then, make Raph take Mikey," I protest.

"Over my dead body," he snaps, crossing his arms.

"You know, I'm starting to think nobody wants to be with me!" Mikey says angrily. "Fine! I'll just go off on my own!" He throws a smoke bomb and disappears. After a second, he appears out of a door. He chuckles nervously. "That's a closet."

"Have fun, you two!" Raph calls as him and Leo leave.

Mikey looks at all the Kraangy technology. "Whoa! What's that one—" He goes to touch it, but I grab his hand.

"Don't. Touch. Anything!" I hiss. He laughs nervously.

* * *

After a few minutes of confusing myself with the Kraang system, Mikey starts pestering me. "What's that one do?"

"I don't know," I reply.

"What's that one do?" he asks again.

"I don't know," I repeat, glaring. I push him off of me.

"What's that one do?" he asks for a third time.

"I don't know!" I yell, pulling him away from the system and throwing him. I return to my station, trying to break the code.

"Ooh, that one's pretty!" Mikey says, climbing over me.

"Just stop it!" I yell, slamming my fists onto the system. Suddenly, it beeps, and I smile and chuckle. "I'm in!"

"You're welcome," Mikey says, smiling. I push him off of me and turn back to the screen. Images pop up, and my heart beats faster.

"Uh-oh."

* * *

"Leo! Raph!" I yell as I turn the corner. "They've planted a mutagen bomb downtown! They're gonna use it to disperse ooze over half the city!" I realize April and Annie's dad is there, trapped. "Oh, hi, Mr. O'Neil. Your daughter's really nice." If he likes me, he'll let me be with Annie!

He smiles. "Which one? You're brothers tell me you found Annie, my younger one."

I blush. "Um, well...both."

"Okay," Leo starts. "We have to disarm that bomb. Just as soon as I get this stupid door open!"

"Have you tried this?" Mikey asks. He pushes a button on the wall.

"No!" we all scream.

An alarm goes off, and Mikey looks at us nervously. "And that's why no one wants to be with you!" Raph yells at him.

"Got it!" Leo says. The door opens, letting Mr. O'Neil out. "Let's move!"

* * *

**Annie's POV **

I lean against the little hut the turtles went into. I sigh heavily, thinking it shouldn't take this long. But they're ninjas. I'm not. Well, not yet.

Suddenly, Raph's voice splits my ears. "Annie! Throw the rope!"

I jump and look down. Leo, Raph, Mikey, Donnie, and...

"Dad!" I yell.

He smiles. "Annie! It's you!"

I grin and throw down the rope. Suddenly, when a Kraang drops its gun, Dad stares at it, before finally breaking free of Leo's hold.

"Mr. O'Neil, what are you doing?!" Leo demands.

Dad grabs the gun and shoots it at a Kraang, taking it down. "Save my daughters. Save the city!"

"Daddy! No!" I shout. I feel like I'm four years old again, crying for him to save me from the scary bladed creature that murdered my mother and kidnapped me.

He keeps shooting the gun, and I don't even notice the turtles climb up the rope. Tears fill my eyes as I watch a Kraang pin him down and another one pointing its gun to his head.

"No!" I protest. But the Kraang don't even notice me. Instead, they lead Dad away, and take my heart with them.

I jump away from the opening, my hands covering my mouth. I told April that we were going to rescue Dad. What am I supposed to tell her now?! That our dad is back in Kraang clutches?! I shut my eyes and wrap my arms around the nearest turtle, which is Donnie. He gently hugs me back before pulling me away and staring into my eyes. "We'll get him back, Annie." I sniffle and stare into those reddish-brown eyes I love so much. "I promise." My heart squeezes. I believe him. I believe his promise.

"We gotta go." Leo's voice snaps us out of our daze and we run away, into the dark night.

* * *

I keep my attention on the Kraang talking to another. Since my ears are filled with the memory of me screaming for Dad, I can't concentrate on what it's saying. But I don't care at this point. They took my father, and I will make them pay.

The turtles and I shoot explosive arrows at the Kraang, destroying them all. Once they're all deactivated, Leo turns to Donnie. "Okay, Donnie. It's up to you."

Donnie tears the lid off of the bomb, but his eyes go blank. "Uh-oh."

"'Uh-oh'?" Leo asks. "Donnie, you said you knew how to do this!"

"I didn't count on a design this complex, Leo," he says in his defense.

"They're aliens from another dimension!" Leo yells. "What did you expect?! A big round ball with a lit fuse that said 'bomb'?!"

"No!" Donnie says. "But...this—"

Raph pushes Leo out of the way and takes over yelling at Donnie. "Boy, I sure hope this argument goes on for another four minutes and fifteen seconds!" He smacks him on the head.

Donnie looks over all the colorful wires, pink buttons, glowing switches, etcetera. I see sweat gather on his head. He whimpers as his hands hover over the wires.

"Careful!" Leo warns. Donnie whisp around and glares at him.

"Watch out for those wires!" Raph adds.

"You guys are 'not' helping!" Donnie says.

"What if we just push this button?" Mikey suggests. He reaches to push a button, but Raph snatches his brother's hand back.

"Don't you think you've pushed enough buttons tonight?" he asks bitterly.

Donnie stares at the bomb, humming to himself. "Donnie, you're gonna have to speed this up," Leo tells him.

"I cannot work with all this pressure!" he yells, grabbing his head.

Suddenly, I hear a noise to the side. I gasp. "Um, that might be a problem." The turtles turn to the side.

Bradford and Xever.

Leo, Raph, Mikey and I whip out our weapons and charge. I dodge Xever's kicks and growl. "You guys picked a really bad time for this!" I yell. I smack Xever away.

"Oh, sorry for the inconvenience," Xever growls. "When would you prefer to breathe your last breath?!" He kicks at me again, and I block it with my blade.

"If that thing goes off, it'll wipe us all out!" I shout.

"I'd rather perish with honor, than live in shame!" Bradford yells. I see him fighting Raph, who yells at Donnie.

"Will you hurry up and defuse the bomb?!" he screams. "We're dealing with a couple of nut jobs here!"

Donnie whips around. "Be quiet!" My eyes widen. Whoa. I've never heard him sound that fierce before.

As the fight carries on, I can tell we're totally losing. I keep sneaking glances at Donnie, which result in me losing focus, and get a punch or kick. I wince as Xever's boot connects with my side.

"Down to two wires," I hear Donnie murmur once I'm close to him. "Which do I cut? Black or green?"

"Go for the green!" Mikey yells. I roll my eyes and run to help Raph, who's fighting Xever.

"Guys! Guys! Mikey was right about something!" Donnie yells.

Suddenly, when I'm punched in the face, Donnie comes to my side, smacking his staff against our enemy. He kicks it away, smirking. Soon, we corner Bradford and Xever back to back. Leo and Mikey on Bradford's side, and Raph, Donnie and I on Xever's side.

Leo points his katana. "You are worthy adversaries, but the fight is ours! Lay down your weapons!"

"Never!" Xever yells.

Leo glares. "You don't have a choice. You've lost."

"If I'm going down," Bradford starts, looking to his side. "I'm taking you with me!" He stabs his blade in the mutagen bomb.

"No!" Donnie yells.

Suddenly, the mutagen bursts out, and I feel myself being yanked back, pressed against Donnie's plastron. The mutagen washes away Bradford and Xever, pushing them off the stand.

We jump down and watch the bomb shut down. "So to sum up, we kicked the butts of the Kraang, and Shredder's top henchmen, while defusing a bomb and saving the city."

"Yeah, we're not overconfident," Raph says, smiling.

"We're just that good," I finish, winking. We cheer and high-three, starting to walk off the roof and return home, where we can celebrate our victory and hang out.

"You're skills are impressive," a dark, savage voice growls behind us. We turn to see a shadow on the very top of the roof. It jumps down, revealing a man in silver armor. "But they will not save you."

I start to shake with fear. "How? How can it be?" I breathe to myself.

"Oh, man," Donnie says, voice shaking with every word. "D-do you think that's...the Shredder?"

"Well, it's definitely _a _Shredder!" Raph growls.

My mouth feels dry. I'm staring into the eyes of the man who killed my mother right in front of me. My eyes fill up with tears, but I blink them away, scared they'll spill and show signs of weakness.

The Shredder comes forward. "There is undoubtably a fascinating story in how my old nemesis came to teach ninjutsu to four mutant turtles. And gave refuge to a bird-kid. Perhaps I will let one of you live long enough to tell it!"

My legs shake as I realize his eyes are fixed on me. Donnie notices this, too, and sticks his staff in front of me, to protect me.

"And don't think I've forgotten you, Ann Elizabeth," the Shredder growls. "I remember your pathetic sadness when I killed your mother. She was a waste anyway. She wouldn't have been a worthy slave."

My heart burns with rage and anger. I take a step closer to him, ready to slash my blade at his throat, but Donnie and Raph hold me back. They look at me with sadness and understanding. I smile.

"You're gonna have to catch us first!" Leo shouts. "Mikey?"

Mikey holds up a smoke bomb. "So long, sucker!" He throws it, but it splats onto the ground, not doing a thing. We glare at the youngest turtle. "Oops. Alright. That one's on me."

The Shredder unsheathes the blades that killed my mother and charges forward. Raph's the first one to fight him. He clashes his sais with the Shredder's blades, and is kicked into the sign. He's electrocuted in seconds.

"Raph!" I scream. No! He couldn't have survived that! I unfold my wings, ready to fight, but Leo beats me to it. He dodges the Shredder's attacks, but is kicked and slides across the roof.

"Leo!" Donnie cries. My heart clenches at his pain-filled cry. He runs forward and starts attacking the Shredder, but the murderer grabs his staff and smacks him with it. My grip tightens on my blade. No one hurts my Donnie!

But Mikey's faster. He throws the chain of his nun-chuck and it wraps around Shredder's arm. Mikey tugs, but the Shredder tugs harder, pulling Mikey towards him and kicking him off the building. As the Shredder watches Mikey fall, I see this as my opportunity.

"My turn," I whisper. Time to avenge my mother's death. I run forward and, with all my strength, slash the blade across his back. He recoils, and Donnie comes and smacks him with his staff.

I clash the katana with his blades. He spits insults at me. "I knew you weren't worth it once I laid eyes on you!"

I know he's talking about when he kidnapped me eleven years ago. "You could've left me to deal with my pain and sorrow!" I spit back.

"But that wouldn't have been as much fun as watching you cry in pain everyday!" he yells. I pull away and kick him, surprising myself and Donnie.

"Annie!" Donnie screams. "Wings!"

I nod and jump in the air, unfolding my beautiful wings and flying straight at Shredder. But he grabs me and throws me aside, making me slide on the roof. I shake, stand up, and keep colliding my blade with his. When Donnie strikes him with his staff, it snaps in two, giving Shredder the opportunity to grab him and throw him on top of me.

We tumble to the ground and look up, Shredder looming over us. Suddenly, as he bares the blades, Raph jumps on him and starts hitting him. Shredder throws him off and swings, but his arm is caught by a nun-chuck chain. Mikey jumps from the very top of the roof and hooks the blade from his kusarigama onto the sign, pulling Shredder up and leaving him there.

He slashes the blade on the sign, and it falls on Mikey. I gasp and we rush over, the turtles lifting the sign and me pulling Mikey out.

We all stare at the Shredder, who's eyes are locked on us with a cold stare. We charge at each other, him defeating all of us in a single hit. I stumble over in pain, clutching my chest. It feels so sore.

Suddenly, a hand grabs my neck and pins me to the wall, a blade at my throat. I open my eyes to see the Shredder, glaring at me. "Tell me where Splinter is and I promise your demise will be swift." A blade comes out of his gauntlet, making my eyes widen in fear.

Suddenly, a gasping is heard behind Shredder, and he drops me. I force myself to see clearly. A fish lays in mutagen, gasping. "Help...me!"

I feel myself being picked up and carried. I close my eyes and let Donnie take me home.

* * *

At the lair, I take a good look at us. We're covered in cuts, bruises, dirt, and blood. My wings feel limp, and when I try I extend them, they sting with an unspeakable pain.

Leo comes into the room, followed by Splinter. "You were all very lucky," he speaks.

"Well, I think we define that word differently, Sensei," Raph says bitterly.

"A few have ever face the Shredder and survived," Splinter tells us.

Mikey looks so sad. "He was just so fast."

"Like he was everywhere at once," Donnie adds.

"You were right, about us being overconfident, Sensei," Leo admits. "There are some things we're just not ready for."

"Perhaps," Splinter says. "But that no longer matters. It is clear now that the Shredder is a problem that will not go away. So prepare yourselves, my sons and Ann Elizabeth. Because as of this moment..." We look up. "We are at war."


	12. Panic in the Sewers

~Chapter 12~

Panic in the Sewers

_The cold winter night makes me shiver, but I keep my eyes locked on the streets. The turtles and I hide behind a dumpster, all of us alert._

_"Shredder could be anywhere," Leo whispers. "Stay frosty, guys."_

_"FYI, frost can't accumulate unless it's below freezing," Donnie starts. "Except during a process called radiative cooling..." I zone him out._

_"Maybe he's got an off switch somewhere," Mikey murmurs._

_Raph smacks Donnie on the back of the head. Donnie quits babbling. "Found it!" Mikey and I giggle._

_"And I found four pathetic turtles and one bird-kid, with only seconds to live," a dark voice speaks. I shiver, knowing who it is._

_"Wouldn't want to be them," Mikey says, smiling._

_We whip out our weapons. "We are them!" Raph hisses._

_We look around for any activity, but suddenly, Mikey screams. I turn to see him, but he's gone, nun-chuck on ground. I swallow tears and fear when I see the Shredder._

_"Mikey!" Donnie yells. He swings his staff and tries to land a blow on the enemy, but he grabs the staff and snaps it in two. He kicks Donnie back into the shadows._

_"No!" I scream._

_"Raph, Annie!" Leo calls. "Take him down!"_

_Leo and I charge and swipe our weapons at the Shredder, and Raph jumps on him, sais pointing. In a blur, Raph's punched back and sent into the shadows. Leo and I try to fight off the enemy, but he forcefully kicks Leo into the shadows, leaving me to fight him._

_"You're a murderer!" I spit at him. "A cold-hearted, merciless and soulless murderer!" Suddenly, his blades slash into my skin, making the flesh tear open and blood ooze out. I fall and skid to the corner. I'm trapped. Tears fall from my eyes._

_The Shredder comes forward, blade from his gauntlet scratching on the wall. "There is no place you can run, no place you can hide, where I will not find you!" He raises his gauntlet. "You think you are ready to face me?!" He slices the blade at me, and I scream in pure terror._

I shoot up from the couch, shaking from the horrible nightmare. It felt so real. No, it will be real. I pull the blanket over my head and cry softly.

* * *

A few weeks have passed, and I notice the turtles are almost always in the dojo, training with Splinter. Their sensei must make them train harder, but it's for their safety. He must've had a dream like mine a few weeks ago.

As I walk past the dojo, I hear Mikey snoring loudly. I peek in, to see him sleeping. "Pizza...mmm!" he murmurs. I roll my eyes.

"Wake him up!" Splinter commands, glaring.

"Gladly," Raph replies, smirking as he takes Mikey and throws him.

Mikey's eyes are open in a flash and he sits up. "Aah! Shredder's here!"

I rush to him, kneeling down. "Relax. You were having a nightmare."

"Aren't we all?" Raph mutters.

"Sensei, can we rest for a sec?" Donnie asks. I can see his reddish-brown eyes are dull with lack of sleep.

"Rest?" Splinter asks. "Hm. The Shredder will not rest—until you are all dead!" I flinch. This is true...

Leo steps forward. "Sensei, we've been training nonstop for weeks with hardly any sleep. They need a break!" He motions to his brothers.

"Oh, like you don't?" Raph challenges.

"That's right, Raph," he growls. "I don't."

"Well, then I'll give you a break!" his brother yells.

Suddenly, all five of us are thrown back, landing on the floor with a thud. I land on a turtle, bu I can't see who it is. I open my eyes to meet Donnie's blushing face. I roll off, blushing crazily.

Splinter stands over us. "If I were the Shredder, none of you would be breathing right now! Understand?!" Mikey leans on Leo's shoulder, snoring away. "Perhaps a brief rest is in order. We will resume later." Splinter walks away, and the turtles drop, sleeping immediately.

* * *

I put on my dark gray coat and walk out of the pizza shop, pizza box in my hand. I pull my hood up and walk to a small warehouse, knocking on the door. A Purple Dragon answers it.

"Hey," I say in a deep voice, clearing my throat. "Did somebody here order a totally delicious pizza?"

"No," he growls. "Beat it."

"Uh, you sure?" I ask. "I mean, the guy who paid on the phone gave me this address. Or...was it a block over? Ugh. I'm so confused."

He smiles. "Oh. That pizza. Yeah. That's ours." He takes it and shuts the door.

I turn to walk away, pulling out my phone. I push a button and hear them talking inside. I smirk. "Gotcha!"

* * *

Once I'm at the lair, I run to the dojo, overhearing Leo talking. "Exactly. So until we're ready, we stay down here."

"Unfortunately, that's not an option," I speak, waving my phone and placing my hand on my hip.

* * *

The turtles gather around me as I sit on the couch, phone in front. We're listening to the Purple Dragons.

"We're meeting Shredder tonight," Fong says. "He's got a plan to destroy the turtles and bird-kid." I growl at that last part.

"How?" one asks. "He doesn't even know where they are."

"He says they're in the sewers somewhere, and that's all he needs to know to wipe them out!" Fong tells them.

"Our home is no longer safe," Splinter tells us. "The Shredder must be stopped."

"How can we stop a plan we don't even know!" Leo asks. Behind him, Mikey aims a water balloon, but Leo throws a knife-like weapon at it, popping it.

"We have to go topside and find out what they're planning," Raph says.

"Raph's right," Leo admits. "There's no other way."

* * *

We watch the Dragons walk into a huge church-like building. We drop down and stand behind Leo. "This is the place."

Raph turns to Donnie. "Donnie, you're crowding me."

"Sorry!" he whispers. He backs up into a trash can, which scares Mikey, making him jump up an kick Raph in the face.

He laughs nervously. "Sorry. All this Splinter talk about how we're not ready has me thinking...maybe we're in over our heads." His red-masked brother hits him on the head.

"You're always in over your head," he growls.

"I'm saying now we all are!" Mikey yells. "And that scares me!"

"It's okay to be scared, Mikey," I say. "Raph is scared, too."

"I am not scared!" he protests. While his attention is fixed on the building, I sneak my hand over to the back of his head and poke him. He shrieks, and then coughs. I chuckle, but it fades away when something comes around the corner.

A huge dog mutant towers over us, growling. I gasp at it. Bradford! "You should be!"

"Bradford!" I gasp.

"Rad-Brad!" Mikey says.

"Look what I found," he snarls. "Four soon-to-be-ex-turtles!"

"Whoa," I mutter. "You look like a mutated form of Hachiko."

"That's because your damned dog bit me and then you washed me away in mutagen!" he growls.

"I'm sure glad it's okay to be scared," Mikey mutters.

"You and me both," Donnie tells him.

"This is no time to panic!" Leo yells. But Bradford comes closer. "Okay, maybe a little." We get out are weapons to fight.

* * *

Mikey looks so scared. "He keeps getting taller!"

"Then I'll cut him down to size!" Leo shouts. He attacks Bradford, but is thrown back to us. We attack him, but we keep getting thrown back or thrown into something.

I slam into Donnie. "This is hopeless!" he shouts.

"Keep your head in the game!" Leo yells.

Donnie glares. "I just wanna keep my head on my body!"

"Come on!" Raph growls. "What are we retreating for?!" He charges at the mutant, but is thrown into a dumpster. "That's a good reason..."

"Mikey! Smoke!" Leo yells. Mikey pulls out one o the smoke bombs, but he drops it, letting a puff of smoke come out.

"What was that?!" Raph yells.

"I'm stressed!" Mikey screams. "Excuse me if my aim's a little off!"

Raph takes one out. "How hard can it be to hit the ground?!" It falls through the grate.

"Not so easy, is it?!" Mikey challenges.

"Oh, will you guys just—!" I snatch one from my belt and throw it on the ground. "Ugh," I mutter. "Boys!"

* * *

The turtles sit in the living room, and I stand behind them, watching.

"We couldn't take him," Leo confesses to Splinter.

"Dogpound was just too powerful," Mikey adds.

"Dogpound?" I ask.

"What?" he asks innocently. "Cause he's a dog, and he pounded us into the—"

"We get it," Leo interrupts. "I don't see how we're gonna get close to that meeting now."

"Well, maybe we just need to find a new place to hide," Donnie says, turning his laptop towards us. "I hear the sewers in Florida are nice this time of year."

I jump to his side and shut the laptop. "No," I say. "I'm not letting you guys give up!" I stand in front o the brothers. "I'll spy on the meeting." Every turtle's eyes widen.

"No way!" Raph protests

"Nuh-uh!" Mikey agrees.

"You can't!" Donnie says.

"Forget it!" Leo confirms.

"Absolutely not!" Splinter adds.

I glare. "I can do this!" I turn to Splinter. "You've been training me to be a kunoichi!"

"For a few weeks!" he says.

"What choice do we have?" I ask truthfully. "Shredder's gonna attack your home, and we need to find out how. And I'm the only one who can do it!"

* * *

Dressed in my gray coat and a pizza box in my hand, I walk up to the building and knock. A Foot ninja answers it, not saying a word.

"Hey," I say in my deep voice. "Did somebody here order a totally delicious—" The ninja slams the door shut.

I run off to the side near the dumpster, where Alli's cat, Whiskers, meows at me. I give her a quick scratch on the head.

"Hey, Whiskers," I say. I pull out my phone. "Looks like the Foot Clan are smarter than the Purple Dragons."

"They'd almost have to be, wouldn't they?" Leo mutters. "Thanks, Annie. You did your best."

I turn to see the church-like building and smirk. "Oh, I'm not done yet." I put my phone away and throw the pizza box in the dumpster. Whiskers meows at me and I walk to the building next to it. I pull down my hood and knock.

An old man appears. "May I help you?"

I show my awkward school ID. "Sir, I'm with the firefighters association, local ninety-four. We've reviewed reports of some faulty wiring in this building, so, mind if I have a look-see?"

"Well," the man starts. "I-I don't think—"

"Thanks," I say, pushing my way in. I climb to the top, leaving my coat on the roof. I crouch down on the side, thinking I can jump the roof.

My wings still feel hurt after the battle with the Shredder, and they can't be moved. I take a deep breath and jump to the other building, feeling awesome. Suddenly, I lose balance and fall off, but grab the side. I swallow and look down. It's quite a fall if I let go.

Whiskers looks up from licking her paw. "Mrow!" she calls. I smile, thinking she must be encouraging me.

I spread my wings and flap them, carrying myself up and dragging myself onto the roof. They feel broken, but I'm glad they're working. I fold them back up and sneak into the roof opening, swallowing once I see Shredder.

Dogpound, the Purple Dragons, and a mutated fish I'm guessing to be Xever turn to the Shredder. He growls orders to his followers, and I pull out my phone and put it on speaker. After the speech is done, I jump down from the roof, landing next to Whiskers. "Meow?"

"Meow," I say, petting her. I press my phone to my ear. "I'm gonna hitch a ride. See where they go."

"No!" Leo protests. "You've done enough!" Suddenly, I hear a growl. "Bradford heard you! Annie! Run!"

I gasp as Dogpound looms over me. "Whiskers! Run!" She yowls and runs away.

Suddenly, I'm thrown into a van, duct tape on my mouth and my hands tied behind my back. I shut my eyes as the van starts moving.

* * *

After a while, Dogpound and a ninja take control of a tanker. I read the back of it. Chlorosulfonic acid. I swallow, knowing it would completely destroy the lair.

Suddenly, I look in the rear view mirror to see Donnie and Raph driving parts of Donnie's patrol buggy. Donnie drives on Fong's side of the van. "Hold your breath, Annie!" He throws a smoke bomb, blinding Fong. The van swerves uncontrollably, and then suddenly slows down. I'm guessing they flattened the tires. The van stops completely, and Fong jumps out. He starts to run to the turtles, but I slam the door into him. I jump out, smiling.

"Nice shot!" Donnie says, returning my smile.

"Nice wheels," I say.

"Oh, well, I built them, you know," he says. Suddenly, it falls apart. "Uh...they're not ready yet." Raph starts to untie the rope that holds my hands together.

* * *

Once we catch up with Leo and Mikey, I'm glad the tank is destroyed. "Looks like we missed the fireworks," Raph says.

"Donnie, the go-cart worked great!" Leo says, smiling. "Nice job!"

"Thanks, Leo," he says. "And it's a patrol buggy!"

* * *

The turtles snack on pizza in the lair, while I write in my journal. "Nothing says victory like the sweet taste of pizza!" Mikey says happily.

Donnie stops and sniffs his slice. "This pizza smells kinda funky. Where'd you get it?"

"It's the one Annie threw out," he replies. His brothers gag on the pizza. "What? We live in a sewer! Now your clean freaks?" He shrugs. "More for me!" He starts eating the pieces on the floor.

"My sons, Ann Elizabeth," Splinter says. We turn to look at him. "I owe you my gratitude, and an apology."

"An apology?" I ask.

"Fear clouded your minds," he says. "However, it was not the Shredder who fueled that fear, but me. You overcame that fear and performed admirably. No training today." The turtles cheer. "...Unless Michelangelo throws that balloon."

I turn to see Mikey aiming a balloon at Splinter, but freezes once his brothers glare at him. "You are so gonna get it!" Raph yells as him, Donnie and Leo jump on the youngest turtle.


	13. MOUSERS

~Chapter 13~

M.O.U.S.E.R.S.

"You sure you don't mind me sleeping over tonight?" Alli asks, uncertainty in her voice.

"You kidding?" I ask. "April loves having you around the apartment."

"But what about your aunt?" Alli crosses her arms, looking serious.

I stop. My aunt doesn't like anyone, not even me or April. She only gave April and I a place to stay because because she doesn't want to be alone in her stupid apartment. She thinks its haunted. I say cool, but April says it's just a myth she spreads around. "To be honest, my aunt hates everyone. But don't worry. She won't mind you sleeping over though."

"Okay..."

As Alli and I continue our walk to my apartment, I see three shadows looming over us. I growl. "Alli, start walking faster."

"Why?" she whispers back.

"Just do it!" I hiss.

We pick up the pace and start walking faster. Suddenly, I'm thrown against the wall of a building. "Annie!" Alli yells. I open my eyes to see her, held by two Purple Dragons. I growl.

I stand up and pull out one of the ninja stars I keep in my belt. I hold it to my cheek, ready to throw it. "Guys, let go of Alli this instant."

Alli's eyes widen once she sees the star. "Whoa! Where'd you get that?!" I place my finger to my lips to shush her. She nods.

"Let. Alli. Go. Now!" I growl. When they don't, I throw the star at them, and they let go of Alli, dodging the star.

Suddenly, I'm thrown to the ground and feel hands running along the pockets of my jacket. I feel them pull out my phone, and they run away. I spit out dirt and glare at the idiots.

"Annie!" Alli says as she rushes to my side. "Are you okay? Here." She hands me the shuriken. "You alright?"

I shrug. "Thanks." I stick the star back into my belt and wrap my arms around myself. "I'll be fine. Head to my apartment. April will take care of those wounds." I point to a nasty cut on her arms. Those Dragons must've cut her with a knife.

"I guess," she murmurs. "Bye."

She leaves and I run down the nearest alley, jumping into the manhole and walking to the lair.

Those Dragons stole my phone! I have everything on that phone! I shrug mentally. April will talk our aunt into getting me a new one, since I don't have enough money.

Once I reach the lair, I realize my arms are still around myself. I look up to see the turtles, surrounding me.

"Annie!" Donnie's eyes look alarmed. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I just got mugged by some Purple Dragons!" I blurt out, on the verge of tears. "They stole my phone."

"Don't worry," Leo assures me. "We'll kick their butts for you."

"Yeah, we'll teach those punks to mess with Annie O'Neil!" Raph adds, smirking.

I smile inside. "Guys, it's just a phone. I'll get another one."

"Come on," Donnie protests. "What's the point of being a ninja if you can't help your friends when they get robbed?"

Splinter walks into the room, undetected by his sons. "Annie is right. It is best to let this go."

"What do you mean?" Leo asks. "Why shouldn't we get her phone back?"

Now I feel guilty for even bringing it up.

"One cannot predict the consequences of battle," Splinter tells him. "Every fight has the potential to stir a hornet's nest. A simple cell phone does not justify this risk."

"What risk?" Raph asks, not seeing the point. "It's the Purple Dragons. Even Mikey and Donnie can beat 'em."

"Hey!" the younger brothers yell in unison.

"Don't worry, Sensei," Leo says. "We'll be careful." Him and his brothers run out, leaving me with Splinter. I turn to him.

"Eh. Whatcha gonna do?" I ask, smiling.

"Hope my next pupil is more obedient," he says, tossing me a training sword. I catch it, and bow.

* * *

After a while of training, I go up to the surface for a little fresh air. My blade holster clinks against my waist as I jump across the rooftops.

I hate to admit it, but it feels like my old life now. No one but myself to tend to, just running across, without a care in the world. The breeze blowing right through my red hair, the energy jolts that shoot up my legs with every land on a new rooftop, and the sweet, soft noises of the city beneath me. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Suddenly, I slam into something. I fall to the ground, and look to see Leo and Raph. I glare. "Ow! What was that for?!"

"Sorry," Leo says softly. "We're just running away from stupid robots down there!" He points to the ground, where small robots gather around. I snort.

"Dude, there are only a few. Can't ya take 'em?" I smile. They glare at me. "Um, I'll take that as a no."

* * *

"So, what are these things called again?" I ask as we run from the robots.

"M.O.U.S.E.R.S," Leo says. "Mobile Offensive Underground Search Excavation and Retrieval Sentries."

My eyes widen. "That's a mouthful that seems forced."

Soon, we stop for breath. "You think we lost them yet?" Leo asks.

We look down, only to see the robots crowd around the building, trying to get to us.

"I'd say no," Raph growls.

"How are those things tracking us?!" Leo asks.

"It's gotta be that stuff he sprayed us with!" Raph answers.

"Who sprayed what on you?" I ask, sounding clueless. But they're not listening.

"All right," Leo confirms. "We'd better call Donnie."

Raph glares. "You want to get bailed out by the B-team?! Forget that!" I roll my eyes.

"Maybe we won't have to," Leo says after a while. "Whatever this stuff is..." He breaks a water pump with his katana. "...We'll just wash it off." Cold water spurts out and sprays us.

"Ahh! Cold!" Raph shrieks.

Leo smiles. "That ought to do it." We turn to see M.O.U.S.E.R.S. right in front of us.

"Of course, we could call Donnie just to say hi," I say suggestively.

* * *

Perched on top of the water pump in an escape from robots was not what I had in mind for spending my night. But it was the only way.

Leo's on the phone with Donnie, not wanting help. Well, that's stupid. Don't call them unless you need help.

Since Donnie's on speaker, I can hear him. "What's the matter? Oh, don't tell me the A-team needs our help."

I take the phone. "Uh, no. We're just...checking in to see if you guys need any help."

"We got this, Annie," Donnie says. "We followed Fong to the Defunct Futon Factory on Fifth."

Mikey laughs in the background. "Say that five times fast!"

"Anyway, we've got an awesome plan to get your phone back," Donnie tells me. "How are you guys doing?"

"Um," I start. "We're doing fine. Just fine." I gasp as the M.O.U.S.E.R.S. come closer to us. "Gotta go!" I shut it off and shove it back to Leo. "You were right. We've gotta beat these things on our own if it kills us."

"Uhhh..." both turtles start.

"Okay," I admit. "Bad choice of words." Suddenly, the pump falls down.

* * *

These M.O.U.S.E.R.S. are seriously hard to deal with. They're easy to destroy, but there are so many of them. I throw stars at them and kick them away, while slashing them with my sword.

"Look, guys!" Leo calls. "M.O.U.S.E.R.-kebabs!" His katanas are covered in robot pieces.

Soon enough, I begin to pant. But the robots just come after me. Raph pants besides me. "These things are a cakewalk."

"Yeah," I pant back. "I could do this all day!"

Soon enough, we have to run for it again.

* * *

I pant for breath. "Okay, this is crazy! Maybe we should call—"

"We can so do this," Raph protests. He stares at the street lamp. "I got an idea!"

We stand on the street lamp, waiting for the robots. Eventually, they come into sight.

"Up here, metal mouth!" Leo yells. He jumps down, hopping on the robots and finally the fire hydrant, where one of them bites off the cap, letting the water come out. Raph takes the lamp down, shocking the water, and the robots.

"Told you we didn't need those guys!" Raph says, smiling.

Suddenly, a M.O.U.S.E.R. runs around the corner, followed by a few more. "Oh, come on!" Leo groans.

We run into a warehouse and shut the door, holding it closed.

"Okay, I admit it!" Raph yells. "I wish Donnie were here! I bet he could find a way to get these things off our tails!"

I turn to him. "Turtles have tails?!" Suddenly, a robot chews a chunk out of the door, right between my legs. We shriek.

"Make the call!"

I do, but Donnie doesn't answer. Mikey doesn't, either. "Mikey's not answering either!" I shout. "Something's wrong!"

"I should've known they'd need us to bail them—" Raph's cut off by the door being pushed down by the robots.

* * *

We run away and storm through the window of the building Donnie and Mikey are in.

"Not so fast, Dogpound!" Leo yells. "And...Dexter Spackman?!"

"Baxter Stockman!" he yells. I catch sight of my phone on a table, but Leo snatches it away. "How did you escape my M.O.U.S.E.R.S.?!"

"We didn't," Leo says.

Suddenly, the robots burst through the windows, ready to kill. I use my blade to break the chains that hold Donnie and Mikey. "We're here to save the day, as usual," Raph says, smirking.

"Oh, yeah," Donnie says sarcastically. "Looks like you guys were doing great."

"You try fighting off two thousand robots!" Raph yells.

We attack the robots while passing my phone around. Mikey has it, being chased by Dogpound in the process.

Donnie kneels down next to a broken M.O.U.S.E.R. "Whoa! A gamma camera! It detects radioisotopes! That must be what he's tagged you with!"

"Oh," Raph growls. "How do we get it off?!"

"You can't," Donnie replies. "It wears off gradually. But if someone else got sprayed, they'd give off a stronger signal! We gotta get Stockman's spray! It controls the M.O.U.S.E.R.S.!"

"You mean that thing?" I ask, motioning to a can in Stockman's hand.

Stockman steps forward. "I'll handle this, Dogman. One spritz and they're M.O.U.S.E.R. chow!" Suddenly, Raph throws a star, making it pierce into the can and spray Dogpound and Stockman. Soon, the robots recognize them as their enemies and chase them.

Suddenly, Dogpound picks up my phone, but something clips it and it disappears. "Hang it up, Dogpound!" Donnie yells. "Your call just got dropped!"

As we watch them run away, Leo turns to Donnie and Mikey. "Nice job, guys."

"Yeah!" Raph agrees. "From here on out, you're the A-minus-team!"

"That's probably the best we're gonna get out of 'em," Donnie says.

* * *

Back at the lair, Splinter talks to his sons. "I hope you all see that by choosing your battles poorly, you created your own crisis."

"Yeah, there's definitely some irony there," Donnie speaks.

"Okay, it got a little out of control," Leo admits. "But we learned our lesson. And at least we got Annie's phone back."

My eyes widen as I walk into the lair. "You did?" I forgot about it during the fight. "Sweet!"

Donnie hands it to me, but it breaks into little pieces. I frown. "Uh, the important thing is it didn't end up in the wrong hands," Leo tells me.

"Gee...thanks...guys," I say, trying not to sound too disappointed.

"Aw, don't worry, Annie," Donnie says. "You can have one of my custom-made T-Phones." He hands me one.

"Oh, cool!" I say, smiling.

"Just don't say 'T-Phone self-destruct,'" Mikey says. Suddenly, the phone steams and breaks. "Or else that happens."


	14. Leatherhead

~Chapter 14~

Leatherhead

"Who wants to try my latest creation?" Mikey asks, coming into the living room. "We all love pizza; we all love milkshakes, so I combined them!"

Okay, ew. That is creepy.

"Okay, that could not be less appetizing," Donnie says, speaking my thoughts.

Mikey holds up a cup up. "I call it a P-Shake!"

Donnie has a sick look in his eyes and covers his mouth. "I stand corrected..."

"You guys just have no sense of adventure," Mikey says. He drinks some of the liquid, but quickly spits it back into the cup. That receives disgusted expressions from all of us.

"Blech," I mutter.

"Where did I go wrong?" Mikey asks sadly. Suddenly, he gulps down the whole wanna-be beverage.

"Gross!" I hiss. I turn back to my sketchbook, where I continue to sketch drawings of Donnie.

I sneak a peek at the TV, where Leo's favorite show is on. *cough* Lame!

"You have to be the only person in the world who likes this show," Raph tells his older brother.

"No way!" Leo says, smiling. "There are millions of space nicks out there." Raph snatches the remote and changes the channel.

"I'm Joan Groady, with a sewer shocker," an aging reporter says. "City workers attacked...by mutants?"

"Huh?!" we all exclaim at once.

"It was like part man, part reptile," a worker says, shaking. "All monster. Came outta nowhere and attacked me."

We shift our gazes to Raph. "Wasn't me!" he snaps.

"Take a look at this terrifying footage," the reporter continues. A video plays next to her. The city worker is shown in the sewers.

"So, some people think the sewers are dark and scary," he says. Suddenly, a huge alligator mutant sneaks up behind him and growls. "But actually, it's a lot of—" Suddenly, the mutant attacks him, making him scream in terror.

The camera turns back to the reporter. "Are malicious mutants menacing Manhattan? Find out next, on Grody—to the Max." I roll my eyes.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Donnie admits.

"Same here," I whisper.

Leo stands up. "The last thing we want is some mutant causing trouble in the sewers."

"Or some news crew down here looking for him," Raph adds.

"We've gotta track this guy down and stop him ourselves," Leo confirms.

Donnie grabs the remote. "Wait a sec. Let's rewind this. I think I saw a tunnel number." He rewinds the TV and a tunnel number above a tunnel crossed off with Do-Not-Cross tape shows. "There! Tunnel two-eighty-one!"

"Let's move!" Leo yells.

* * *

We pass through the crossed-off tunnel and keep walking. Suddenly, something catches my eye on the ground. I kneel down. A footprint. "Whoa! Check this out! What the heck made these footprints?" I ask the turtles.

As we walk, we hear a malicious roar. I gasp as I see a huge shadow, and Kraang blasts. We sneak forward and see the mutant alligator—bashing the Kraang. Suddenly, a Kraang is thrown to the wall, the brain thing crawling out and running away.

"I'd never thought I'd feel sorry for the Kraang," Donnie whispers to me.

Suddenly, one of the Kraang pull out a stick with a glowing pink top and jab it into the mutant's side. He roars in pain, the stick shocking him. I glare at Donnie. "Now do you feel sorry for the Kraang?!"

One Kraang steps forward. "Tell Kraang in what place can be found the power cell that Kraang wishes to find the place of."

The mutant roars. "Never!" The Kraang keep shocking him, making him roar in agony and pain.

Mikey tugs on Raph's arm. "C'mon! We gotta help him!"

"I think 'got' is a strong word," Raph mutters.

"Mikey, we don't know anything about that guy," Leo says. "He could be way more dangerous than the Kraang."

Mikey glares at his brothers. "That gator dude needs our help! I can't wait around for you cowards!"

"Do you know what you're getting into?" Donnie asks his younger brother.

Mikey charges forward. "Booyakasha!" He throws the chain of his nun-chuck and it wraps around one of the Kraang's shocking sticks. Mikey tugs the chain and the stick jabs into a Kraang's head.

"Well, I guess that settles it," Raph comments. He twirls his sais. "Let's go whack some piñatas!" We jump into battle.

I withdraw my sword and slash it against a Kraang, kicking it away. It's a quick battle, with the brain things scurrying off.

"So what do we do now?" Donnie asks.

"We get out of here before more Kraang Droids show up!" Leo tells him. Mikey's eyes widen and he goes to the mutant's unconscious side.

"We can't leave him here!" he protests. "What if the Kraang find him?!"

"Well, what do you wanna do? Take him back to the lair?" Leo asks. I start to smile, but it disappears once I realize Mikey's puppy dog eyes are taking it seriously. "Oh no!" Leo protests. "Oh no! Did you see what he did to those Kraang Droids?! We are not bringing that monster home with us!"

"He's not a monster!" Mikey tells him. "He's a...giant Kraang-crushing mutant alligator monster!" He stops. "I said monster, didn't I?" We all agree. "Well you know what I meant!" Mikey says.

"I thought you meant monster," Raph says. The rest of us nod.

"Fine!" Mikey confirms. "I'll bring him back myself!" After many unsuccessful attempts to move the mutant, he turns to his purple-masked brother. "Um, Donnie? You don't happen to have a forklift, do you?" Donnie and I exchange glances. "No? Okay."

Leo sighs and points to his youngest brother, which signals us to help. We each grab some part of the mutant and start pulling him home.

* * *

At the lair, the mutant lays in the middle of the living room, still unconscious.

"I can't believe we let him talk us into this!" Raph mutters.

Mikey seems to have warmed up to the mutant. "Aww! Look at him." He places a teddy bear in the mutant's arm. "He's so peaceful."

"That's because he's out cold," Leo says. Donnie comes in, carrying chains.

Mikey glares. "Whoa. What are those for?"

"We can't keep him here unless he's chained to something really big," Donnie explains.

"That is so wrong!" Mikey protests. "He's not gonna hurt us. We're the ones who saved him." He hugs the mutant. Suddenly, its eyes open, but they have a clear covering over them. "See? He's perfectly calm. I bet the first thing he's gonna do is thank—" Suddenly, the mutant stands up, throwing Mikey off. He takes the stuffed teddy bear and rips it in half. "Or maybe the second thing!"

* * *

The mutant towers over us, suddenly reaching and grabbing Donnie's face. "Aaaaah! Get him off me! Get him off me!" Donnie screams.

Mikey grabs the chains. "I'll help ya, Donnie!" He throws the chain and it wraps around Donnie's waist. He starts pulling.

"Not like that! Not like THAT!" Donnie yells. The mutant tugs on Donnie, making Mikey and the other turtles be thrown across the room. Mikey lands on one of the pipes on the ceiling an keeps pulling. Raph jumps on the mutant and Leo uses the taser to shock it. The mutant falls unconscious.

"What is all this commotion?!" Splinter demands, walking into the room.

"Sensei, Mikey made us bring a mutant into the lair and it attacked us!" Raph reveals.

Mikey shows himself. "It needs our help!"

"It's a dangerous monster!" Raph protests.

"Raphael!" Splinter says. "There is no monster more dangerous than a lack of compassion." He looks at the mutant, who's still unconscious. "My mistake."

Mikey looks sad. "We're doing to him what everyone else does to us! Judging him by his looks."

Donnie pries himself from the mutant's grasp. "And the fact that he had me by THE FACE, MIKEY!" He holds his head and I place my hand on his shoulder.

"But he was fighting the Kraang, Master Splinter," Mikey tells him. "It's like you always say: the enemy of my enemy is my bro!"

"That is not exactly what I've said," Splinter says. "But what's this about the Kraang?"

"They were trying to force him to tell them where they could find some...power cell," I say.

"And...he refused to tell," Splinter confirms.

"Yeah," Mikey says. "They were all like zap, zap, zap, and he was all like 'ROAR! Never!'"

"Hm," Splinter says. "I see. You made a wise decision, Michelangelo."

"Huh?!" all four of us exclaim.

Splinter himself looks surprised. "Yes. I never thought I'd hear myself say that either." He kneels down and places his hand on the mutant's chest. "Hm. His scars run deep, but they protect a genuine heart. When he awakens, Michelangelo, you must find a way to befriend him."

"No problemo," Mikey says, smiling.

Splinter stands up. "We need to learn what he knows about the Kraang. In the meantime, you four try to find this power cell before the Kraang can."

"But we're still chaining him up right?" Donnie asks nervously.

"Of course," Splinter says. "I am compassionate, not insane."

* * *

Rummaging through broken Kraang bodies isn't exactly what I call awesome. But I have to. This. Totally. Sucks.

"I don't suppose this is a power cell," Raph says, holding something up. I smile, but frown when I see it's just a soup can.

"Quit goofing around, Raph," Donnie growls. Raph tosses the can back, into the water, where it sinks.

I kneel down and watch it. "Hold on a sec. If an alligator wanted to hide something, where would he put it?"

Donnie smiles, and I'm guessing this is the perfect opportunity for him to impress me with his brain. "Ooh. I'm thinking underwater. Alligators love to drag their prey to the bottom of swamps—ah!" He's smacked into the water by Raph.

"Thanks," I say.

"Don't mention it," he says, smiling.

Donnie's head comes out of the water. "Hey! This pool is deeper than it looks! It keeps going!"

Leo stands up. "Well, sounds like we should—" He's pushed into the water too.

"Way ahead of you," Raph says, smirking.

* * *

After a very long swim and a very long time of holding my breath, we finally reach the stopping point. I climb out of the water, thankful that there's air to supply my lungs. Suddenly, Raph shakes and water sprinkles everywhere. "Ugh!" I groan.

"Sometimes it's good to be a turtle," he says. Suddenly, a stop sign comes out of nowhere and tries to hit us. I duck, and hear the others scream. I look to see the red-masked turtle pop his head back out of his shell. "And sometimes, it's good to be a short turtle."

The whole place shakes and rumbles. "This place is booby—trapped!" I realize. Suddenly, things start dropping from the ceiling. "Run!" We all start running frantically away from the falling objects and traps.

* * *

Running and dodging the stuff that comes after us, and now bursting through a door that says 'Get Out.' That's our status.

We fall right into the room behind the door and look around. Donnie presses a space on the wall, only to have it open a secret compartment. A glowing pink lightning bolt shape in a canister is in the compartment. We gasp.

"This thing must be putting out some power," Donnie says. He touches two metal things to it, but ends up shocking himself. He's thrown back into the wall, where his mask tails stick up like bunny ears. I hide my giggle. "Why am I the one that always has to touch the weird Kraang stuff?!"

* * *

"Any idea for what they would use it for?" Leo asks Donnie.

"Well, with the right components, it could power almost anything!" he answers. "Flashlight, blaster cannon...city on the moon."

"Why would the gator even want this thing?" I ask.

"Let's bring it back home and ask him," Raph suggests.

"Great, but who's gonna carry it through the water?" Donnie turns to us. We all smile at him. "Oh, man!"

"I'm sure it'll be fine," I say.

"But you go first, okay?" Leo adds quickly. I shoot him a glare.

Donnie inches closer to the water. He winces as he readies himself to step in. Suddenly, Raph grabs him and shakes him. "Ow!" Donnie yells. "Not funny!" But Raph pushes him in.

* * *

"Hey, guys!" Mikey greets us once we swim to the lair. "Leatherhead is totally off the chain."

Raph whips out his sais. "You mean you set him free?!"

"What? No," Mikey says. "Off the chain means he's cool." We all sigh in relief. "And that's why I set him free." We gasp and stare in horror as the mutant—Leatherhead—smiles at us, carrying a pot.

"You let that maniac loose?!" Donnie hisses. "Maybe you forgot that he grabbed me by the face. So I'll remind you. He grabbed me BY THE FACE!"

"Relax, you've been hurt worse since," Raph tells him, smiling.

Leo glares at the orange-masked turtle. "Mikey, you shouldn't have unchained him. What if he goes berserk?!"

"He's not gonna go berserk," Mikey says, petting Leatherhead. "He's totally mellow."

"Okay..." Leo steps forward. "So...Leatherhead. About the Kraang..."

Suddenly, Leatherhead drops the pot and roars, swinging at us. "Dude! Chill! Chill!" Mikey yells, petting him. The mutant calms down and Mikey turns on Leo. "What were you thinking?!"

"You said he was mellow!" Leo protests.

"I didn't know you were going to ask him about the you-know-who!" Mikey shoots back.

"Okay, what should I do?" Leo asks.

"I don't know!" Mikey tells him. "Maybe start with an icebreaker like 'How was your day'?"

Leo sighs. "Okay. Um...Leatherhead. How was your day?"

"It started out awful," Leatherhead says.

"Yeah, you were attacked by the Kraang," Mikey says. Leatherhead roars. "My bad!" Mikey pats the mutant. "Whoa, buddy! Cleansing breaths. Cleansing breaths. Cleansing breaths." He drops down to the kneeling mutant. "You know you're in a safe place now, right?"

Leatherhead takes a deep breath. "Yes."

"My brothers just wanna ask you a few questions," Mikey says. "Do you think you can handle that?"

"...Yes," Leatherhead breathes.

"Okay," Mikey says. "Now, what is it that you guys wanted to ask?"

Raph and Leo move aside, leaving me and Donnie. We glare at them. "Okay," Donnie starts. "We just wanna know what this is." He holds out the power cell. Leatherhead stands up and suddenly grabs Donnie's face. "Oh, come on!" The mutant roars. "This is not my day!"

* * *

Soon, Leatherhead is on a rampage, defeating all of us in a time of almost three minutes. He grabs the power cell from Mikey.

"No!" he shouts. "Put that down!" But Leatherhead throws him into the wall.

"Stop!" I turn to see Splinter. "Get away from my sons!" Leatherhead roars at him and runs towards him. He dodges the alligator's attacks, smacking him away. The rat quickly defeats Leatherhead, leaving him with the power cell. "Leave this place! Out!" Leatherhead growls and takes the cell, leaving.

I see Mikey crawl out and disappear down the exit. I follow him, flying above him.

"Leatherhead! Leatherhead!" he calls. I land besides him when he stops by a collection of subway cars with graffiti on them. "Huh?" We open the doors of one. Leatherhead sits, power cell in front of him. "Dude! Leatherhead! What's the big idea, man?!"

"You should not be here," he growls.

"I trusted you," Mikey says. "Then you freak out and attack my entire family! I thought we were friends." I lay my hand on his shoulder.

"I warned you that there is a dangerous force inside me that I cannot control," Leatherhead says. "And that is why I must be alone."

"Leatherhead!" Raph yells. Suddenly, the turtles are behind us, weapons in hands. "Get away from Mikey and Annie, or we'll turn you into the world's ugliest suitcase!"

"Please!" Leatherhead protests. "I mean them no harm. It was the Kraang that made me this way! I was raised by a kind human boy, until his parents discovered me and dumped me in the sewers. The Kraang found me, and took me to their dimension. They mutated me, and subjected me to horrible experiments. But they could not break my spirit. Six months ago, I escaped through the portal that they used to travel to Earth, and I stole this." He holds up the power cell.

"What do they use it for?" Donnie asks.

"It powers the portal," Leatherhead explains. "Without it, no Kraang can enter or leave this dimension. I swore to keep it from them, and spare this world from their evil—even at the cost of my own life."

Suddenly, a noise is heard and the subway car rumbles. "Give to Kraang the power cell that Kraang has come to demand that you give to Kraang!"

"It's the Kraang!" Mikey shouts.

"Quick!" Leo commands. "Barricade the doors!" Raph and Mikey block the doors, but Kraang barge in, Leo taking out one and Donnie taking out one. One tries to steal the power cell from Leatherhead, but I slash it with my sword and kick it away.

Finally, the doors are closed and the banging has stopped. Mikey sighs with relief. Suddenly, the Kraang's guns burst through the wall, little saws working on cutting it. The Kraang inside the subway car come back to activation and start attacking Leo and Donnie.

"We're surrounded!" Raph shouts.

"We'll never hold 'em off," Mikey says sadly.

"We gotta get out of here!" I confirm. "Donnie, can you get this subway car running?!"

"This track is dead," he says. "There's no electricity."

I gasp. "What about the power cell? Can you use that?"

"I might be able to hook it up to the motor," he says thoughtfully. "But I'll need time!"

Leatherhead stands up. "I will buy you time." He turns to Mikey. "My friend, you have trusted me, now I am trusting you." He hands him the power cell. "I will buy you time." He bursts through the doors and starts attacking the Kraang.

Donnie uses his staff's blade to open the motor and I hand him the cell. I silently watch him work.

"Donnie, we're running out of time!" the blue-masked leader hisses.

"I'm working as fast as I can!" Donnie shoots back. I cut a Kraang's arm off and throw it to the side.

"Donnie!" Raph yells. "Will you hurry—"

"I got it!" he yells, shoving the power cell into the motor. Suddenly, the subway car shoots forward at an incredible and unbelievable speed, making us all scream.

Donnie pulls back on the break, making the car skid to a stop. The doors open with a ding and we look out. "Where the heck are we?!" Leo asks.

"According to my calculations..." Donnie sniffs the air. "Sewage plant."

"Ew," I say, shuddering.

"Wow," Mikey says in awe. "It's as beautiful as they say!"


	15. The Rat King

~Chapter 15~

The Rat King

"Ann!" Aunt Susan yells from downstairs. "Get up! I need you to do something for me!"

Groaning, I pull up the covers to my nose, breathing in the warm fabric. Why oh why does Susan hate me like this?! It's Saturday! And I have to get up at 6:47. A.M!

I sit up and yawn crazily. I wonder if Donnie has to get up this early. At least he doesn't have a self-centered aunt who tortures her fifteen-year-old niece. But he does have three brothers and an awesome sensei and father.

I feel tears come into my eyes. I wonder how my dad is, in Kraang clutches. Does he miss me and April? Is he trying to make sense of how his younger daughter came back after eleven years?

"Ann!" Susan calls again. "Get down here!" I roll my eyes and climb out of my bed. I look at myself in the mirror. Yellow sleeping shirt and flowered pants. It's a good fit for me, but I feel uncomfortable in it in front of people.

I race down the stairs, being met with Susan's piercing green eyes. "Yes?" I ask innocently.

"I need you to go shopping for me," she says, handing me a list. "Since I'm going to my office meeting at TCRI, and April's out with her friends, you deal with the shopping." She walks over to get her purse. "Wow. It's amazing to walk anywhere without picking up clumps of dog hair."

I look up, glaring. "Hachiko will be back. I know he will!" But she doesn't answer. She just grabs her purse and walks out, leaving me in the empty apartment.

Dressed in my usual green shirt, shorts and boots, I walk out of the apartment, I head to the store and start shopping.

* * *

After a while, I come out of the store, two large grocery bags in my arms. I start to walk back to my apartment, but a squeaking noise stops me. I look down to see a tiny black rat, munching on a pretzel.

"Aww," I coo. "Hey, little fella. Where's your mama?" Suddenly, I hear squealing and turn. Thousands of rats come at me, the swarm growing bigger by the minute. "Sorry I asked!" I drop the bags and run away from the rats.

I smile as I see a telephone pole and remember the night I first saw the turtles. I'm a master at climing telephone poles. I climb up it and stay on the top of it, surrounded by the rats.

Shivering, I take out my T-Phone and press Donnie's name. I press it to my ear, waiting. "C'mon, Donnie Boy," I mutter.

He finally picks up. "Hey, Annie! I mean...hey, Annie." He tries it again in a smoother tone. "I mean—"

"Donnie! Stop talking!" I interrupt. "I need some help. I'm having a little bit of a...pest problem!"

* * *

Soon enough, the turtles come into sight. I look down. Rats—millions of them—surround the pole I'm on. I swallow as they start chewing.

"We're coming, Annie!" Donnie shouts. "Don't go anywhere!"

I give him a 'really?!' face. "Where could I possibly go?!" I yell back.

The turtles each throw a rope with a hook on it and swing over to the telephone pole. They start to climb up, rats all over.

I see Raph starting to get ticked off. "These stupid rats are starting to get on my nerves!" he growls, smacking one away.

"Rats aren't stupid," Donnie says in the vermins' defense. "Despite their small brain size, they're remarkably—ow!" A rat suddenly falls on his head. I turn to see Raph, glaring. A rat squeals in his hand.

"I warned ya," he says.

"Raph, put down the rat and keep climbing," Leo commands.

I look at the bottom of the pole, where the rats munch freely on the wood. I gasp. "Hurry!" I yell. Suddenly, the pole tips over and I lose my grip. I shriek as I start to fall down towards the rats.

But something grabs me and I'm saved from falling. I don't care which turtle it is, but I bury my face in his shoulder. Once he lands on the pole, I look to see I'm sitting in Donnie's lap. He smiles. "As long as Donnie's here, you have nothing to—oh, boy." The pole starts to creak, and starts to tip towards the rats.

* * *

I grab onto the pole, all five of us dangling above the rats. I force to keep my voice steady. "Okay, I appreciate you guys coming to help, but how is this better than getting eaten by rats?!"

"At least it'll be quick," Mikey says. "With rats, they chew and chew and chew and chew...and chew."

"Okay! We get it!" I hiss.

Donnie's gaze sweeps from the ground to the pole, to the buildings. "Let's move!" We slowly start to move on the pole, but one of the wires snaps. We gasp. "Hurry!" Donnie yells. We run across the pole, but suddenly, another wire snaps and the pole tips over, sending us backwards, landing on the building.

I shake my head and try to calm my racing heart. Leo glares at the rats down below. "Chew on that, rat finks!" We all stare at him. "Oh, come on! That sounded cool!"

"Does anybody know what the heck is going on?!" I ask.

Donnie's quiet for a minute. "I'm not sure. But whatever it is, this attack is extremely well coordinated. Obviously, there is a higher intelligence at work here."

"Well, that rules out Mikey," Raph mutters.

Donnie glares slightly. "I'm serious. Someone or something is controlling every rat in the city."

Raph's expression suddenly turns serious. "Wait a sec. Every rat?"

"That means that Splinter could be..." Leo's voice trails off.

* * *

We rush back to the lair, where we gather around a sleeping Splinter. I kneel down. "Is he okay?"

"Donnie you're the smart one," Raph says. "What do we do?"

Donnie shrugs. "Maybe we should poke him...?"

Leo nods. "Good idea. Mikey, poke him."

Mikey shakes his head. "No way! I'm not poking him! You poke him!"

"Okay, we'll put it to a vote," Leo says.

"Mikey," the turtles answer in unison.

"I want a recount!" Mikey says, but Donnie hands him his staff. He sighs. "Fine!" Mikey takes it and inches towards Splinter.

"Easy! Easy!" Donnie hisses as Mikey hovers the staff over Splinter. "Careful not to squeeze—" Suddenly, the staff's blade comes out. The turtles shriek and Mikey drops the staff. Donnie sighs and picks it up, handing it to Mikey. "Okay. Let's try it from the other end." Ignoring Mikey's head shakes, he pushes him towards their sensei.

Mikey quickly pokes Splinter, and again. He keeps it up. "Whoa. He's totally out of it!" He pokes his nose. "Dudes! Check out the nose nuggets!" Donnie and I face-palm. Then, he starts to imitate him and moves his mouth with the staff. "Michelangelo is awesome! He is the smartest, handsomest but cheekiest of all my—" Suddenly, Mikey's thrown back and hits the wall. "...Sons..." I hide a giggle.

"Sensei," Leo says, rushing to his side. "Are you okay?"

"No, Leonardo," he answers. "I am not. It would appear your former adversary Dr. Falco has returned." I take hold of his arm and lead him into the dojo.

"Falco's behind this?!" Donnie asks, surprised. He must be remembering his fight with the scientist. "How's that possible?"

"Somehow he has acquired a telepathic connection with every rat in New York," Splinter tells him. "And he now calls himself the Rat King."

Mikey looks angry. "Oh, great! So now we're letting the bad guys name themselves?! We gotta take him down!"

"Yes, Michelangelo, you do," Splinter says. "The Rat King will not rest until he has total control over the city...and my mind."

"...Sensei?" Leo asks in a tiny voice.

Splinter takes down a photo from the stand. "Everything I knew is gone. My wife, my daughter, my clan. Even my humanity. You four are all I have left."

"Don't you worry, Sensei," Raph assures him. "We'll stop him!"

"But we gotta find him first," Donnie reminds him."

"When the Rat King attempted to take control of me, I could see into his mind," Splinter tells us. "You will find his lair in an abandoned utility junction beneath Harold Square."

"Let's go play Exterminator!" Raph says eagerly.

Suddenly, Splinter cries out in pain, holding his head. Leo and I rush to his side. "Fight him, Sensei," Leo tells him.

"I will," he whispers. "Just hurry." I lead him away.

"It's okay, guys," I say. "You go after the Rat King. I'll stay with Sensei."

* * *

I walk into the dojo, cup of tea in my hands. It's clouded with fog and clouds.

"Master Splinter?" I ask. I walk through the clouds, and walk backwards, suddenly bumping into something. I turn and gasp.

Eyes glowing red, Splinter hovers over me, katana in hand. I drop the cup and take a look at the sword. It could definately do some damage if it came in contact with my skin. He swipes it at me, and I dodge his attacks.

"Master Splinter!" I yell. "Wait! It's me!" But he comes at me, ready to kill. Suddenly, he stops, and walks out. I gasp as two strands of my bangs fall out of my hair. I sigh. "Bangs were a little long anyway."

I shake as I grab my T-Phone. I push on Donnie's name. I press it to my ear. He picks up on the first two rings. "Uh, Annie, now's not really the best time."

"Donnie," I start. "It's Splinter. He's gone!" I grab my sword and start to run out of the lair.

"What do you mean 'gone'?" he asks. "Gone where?" Suddenly, he hangs up.

"Donnie? Donnie?!" Fear creeps into me as I put away my phone. Oh, please let him be okay.

* * *

Once I reach the abandoned utility junction, the turtles are fighting Splinter. I jump in, but the rat dodges my attacks. He knocks out Donnie, then Mikey, then Raph, and pins down Leo.

"Wait!" Leo yells. "Remember who you are!" He holds up the photo Splinter had earlier. "Hamato Yoshi." I blink. _Whoa, that name sounds familiar. _

Splinter freezes for a moment.

"Donnie! Raph! Annie! Now!" Leo commands. We all pin him down. "Please...Father. We need you."

The Rat King comes forward. "Don't listen to him, brother. Your place is with me!"

Splinter suddenly throws us all off, pinning down Leo, a katana ready. "My place...is with my sons!" Suddenly, Splinter runs to the Rat King, sending him flying backwards.

The turtles are silent, but quickly recover and hug him. "Sensei!" I smile, thinking of my own father. I hope he's okay.

The Rat King disappears in a swarm of rats, Mikey smiling. "That's the last we'll see of...Count Ratcula!" We stare at him, and even Splinter shakes his head. "Yeah? Alright. It's Rat King. But I'm naming the next one!"


	16. Stopping Snakeweed

~Chapter 16~

Stopping Snakeweed

The darkness of the city doesn't affect me in any way; I can still see the huge weed monster in front of us, running from me and the turtles. Damn Snakeweed.

Suddenly, he grabs the pizza boy. "No!" Mikey yells. "Not the pizza guy! Take Donnie!" I hide my laugh as I stare at Donnie's face.

"Snakeweed's getting away!" he reminds him, trying to avoid the comment.

Suddenly, we chase the weed into an alley. We stop. "We've got him trapped," Leo says, proudly.

"Good," Raph says, pulling out his sais. "Then let's go weed whacking!"

"Tree trimming!" Donnie adds.

"Plant pulling!" I say, smiling.

"Gardening!" Mikey says. "Boom! Ha ha. Oh, yeah. Mikey put the sprinkles on that sundae!" Raph sighs and I face-palm.

"Let's go." Raph starts to go into the alley, but Leo stops him.

"Hang on, Raph," Leo says. "We're not charging a twelve-foot regenerating mutant."

"Then what are we doing?!" Raph asks, confused.

Leo points to the roof. "We'll take Snakeweed from above. Tie him up in the clothesline. C'mon!" He starts climbing up to the roof.

"That'll take forever!" Raph protests. "And we have to stop Snakeweed now. I mean, he's...kidnapping people!"

"Not just people," Mikey says sadly. "People who bring pizza!"

"We take him from above! Let's move!" Leo gets to the top before the rest do. Once we're all up, he stands on the edge of the roof. "On my count. One. Two." We look over the edge. "Where'd he...?" My eyes widen. No Snakeweed.

Raph glares at Leo. "And the award for worst leader goes to—"

"How am I the worst leader?!" Leo demands.

"If we did this my way, Snakeweed would be toast by now!" Raph says angrily.

"Ugh," Mikey mutters. "That'd be some nasty toast." I feel someone grab my shoulders lightly and pull me away from the fighting brothers.

"This way would've worked if you hadn't wasted time second-guessing my orders," Leo growls.

"Don't give bad orders, and I won't second-guess them!" Raph shoots back.

"You know what, Raph? If you think you could do better, why don't you lead?" Leo sounds pissed.

"First good idea you've had all day!" Raph retorts. It's so intense here that I can actually see lightning bolt swirls form between them.

Mikey sneaks up to his oldest brothers. "We'll compromise. I'll lead." That receives death glares from both of them. I sneak up and pull Mikey back.

Leo turns to Raph. "Fine, Raph. The team's yours. I'm outta here." He walks away, into the night.

"I can't believe he's gone," Mikey says.

"Oh, don't worry, Mikey," Donnie says, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Leo...well...he just needs some space." Mikey stares at him. "...You meant the pizza guy, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

* * *

"Donnie, we have to find Snakeweed's lair," Raph says.

The purple-maske turtle looks annoyed. "Working on it."

"Then work faster!" his brother snaps.

"Do you yelling gonna help?" he asks honestly.

The red-masked turtle starts to crack his knuckles. "No. I think hitting is gonna help."

Donnie swallows. "I'll work faster." He returns to drawing circles on the map in front of him.

Suddenly, the door of the lab opens to reveal Leo. His eyes are red. "Leo's back!" Mikey announces. "And he's been crying!" He runs to his oldest brother. "Aww. You missed us!" Leo pick up his brother and places him to the side.

"I got hit with blinding powder," he says defensively. I roll my eyes.

"Sure," Mikey murmurs, smiling. "Big softey."

Raph doesn't seem too happy with Leo's return. "And where have you been?"

"Don't see how that's your business," Leo replies calmly.

Raph glares at him. "Fine. Whatever." He starts to walk away, but Mikey holds him and Leo.

"Dudes, can't we just be cool with each other?" he asks. "Let's hug this out." Raph's elbow suddenly connects with Mikey's stomach. "Ow! Okay. Now the healing can begin."

Donnie stands up. "Hey, I think I've figured out where Snakeweed's hideout is!"

"Where?" Leo asks.

"Okay," Donnie starts. "The radio pattern of recent Snakeweed sightings indicates his lair is at the epicenter of Forty-Seventh, and—"

"Actually," Raph interrupts, aiming these words at Leo. "You don't need to know bases. And guess what? You don't need to know."

"Hm." With that, Leo leaves the room, Mikey giving a small good-bye wave.

* * *

Walking—or flying—in the sewers isn't exactly my cup of tea. While the turtles slosh through the sewers, I use my wings to fly low, so I don't touch the ground.

"Man, it really stinks around here," Mikey comments.

"It is a sewer, Mikey," Raph reminds him.

"I mean more than usual!" Mikey takes a deep inhale. "Ugh. Where does all this stuff come from, anyway?"

Raph, Donnie and I exchange glances. Donnie walks over to Mikey. "Um, Mikey, it's..." The rest is whispered.

"What?!" Mikey jumps out of the sewer water. "Don't they know we're living down here?!"

"Keep it down, guys!" Raph hisses.

Donnie blinks. "Wow. You sound just like Leo."

Raph turns on him. "You say that one more time, and I'll shove your head in this sewage."

I shudder. "Okay. Now you sound like you again."

After more walking/flying, we reach a luminous green lair with vine-like tubes. I swallow, knowing this is Snakeweed's lair.

Donnie, eyes still stuck to the map, doesn't realize we're right in front of the hideout. "Ugh. Come on!" he mutters. "Snakeweed's lair should be around here somewhere."

"You don't say," Raph mutters. Donnie looks up and focuses his eyes on the glowing lair.

We walk around, and Donnie, Mikey and I stare in one of the tubes. Soon, a human is shown. All of us gasp. "And he's growing humans!" Mikey says. I face-palm.

"He's not growing 'em, shell-brain!" Donnie growls. "He's holding them captive!"

"For what?" Raph asks. "He's a plant. And he can eat 'em."

Donnie's eyes widen. "He's probably turning them into fertilizer."

Mikey shudders. "Ugh. Is that really where fertilizer comes from?"

"Actually, most fertilizer comes from..." More whispering from Donnie.

Mikey's eyes widen. "What?! Is there anything that doesn't come from that?!"

"Enough!" Raph growls. "Let's cut 'em loose!"

I reach into a tube and grab the human. I gasp. "Mrs. Harper?" Alli's mother. She groans as I place her down. I hope she doesn't have any memory of this by tomorrow.

As the people leave, Raph turns to us. "Not only was that a job well done, it was a job well done without Leo."

Suddenly, a huge green plant head pops out from between two tubes. "My fertilizer!" Snakeweed.

Mikey turns to Raph. "What now, boss?"

* * *

Well, this sucks. I just spent more than two hour trailing in a sewer just to get my butt whipped by a gigantic weed monster.

"Wow!" Mikey yells. "We're totally losing!"

Raph's smacked into the wall. "Really?" he yells back sarcastically. "I hadn't noticed."

"Then get your head in the game, bro!" Mikey yells. "You're supposed to be the leader!"

As I cut off an oncoming vine from Snakeweed, it grows back almost instantly. I glare and try to run from the monster, it snakes a vine around my waist and lifts me up, off the ground.

I thrash around, trying to break free. I catch a glimpse of an unconscious Mikey and a scared Raph. And a determined Donnie.

* * *

"I'll smash you turtles into the ground!" Snakeweed threatens.

Suddenly, Donnie leaps up, and in a flash of movements, he snatches me from the monster's grasp and manages to tie up Snakeweed and hold him off with his staff. He lands on the ground, me in his arms—bridal style. I blush.

"Raph!" he yells. His older brother is still in shock over Mikey's unconscious body. Donnie grabs his shoulder. "We don't have much time before he grows back! Let's grab Mikey and get outta here!" We gather Mikey in our arms and run out, Snakeweed yelling after us.

Suddenly, in the midst of it all, my T-Phone rings. I blush as Raph and Donnie stare at me. "Hehe. I gotta take this." I press it to my ear. "What, April?!"

"You've gotta come back to the apartment!" April tells me. "Someone wants to talk to us both."

"Alright, alright," I say. I hang up and turn to the turtles. "April needs me to get home. But I'll be back, alright?" They nod and I run up to the surface.

I run to the apartment and see April and Leo, April's arms crossed. I turn to Leo.

"You woke her up, didn't you?" I ask. He nods. "Alright, what do you want?" I stand next to April.

Leo smiles. "I wanted to tell you both. I met this girl..."

April and I gasp like fangirls. "Tell me everything!" we say in unison, April grabbing Leo's left shoulder and me grabbing Leo's right shoulder, both pulling him to us.

"Well," he starts. "She's really cool." We nod. "She's also a martial artist. "We nod. "And...um...she's in the Foot Clan." April and I exchange glances and smack him with rolled up magazines.

"Are you crazy?!" we hiss in unison.

"April, Annie, she's different," he says. "She's—"

"In the Foot Clan," April cuts him off.

"I know, but she's—" he starts again.

"In the Foot Clan!" I finish.

"Look, I know I shouldn't be hanging out with her," Leo says.

"Yeah, ya got that right," April hisses.

"You know why?" I ask.

"'Cause she's in the Foot Clan!" we sisters yell.

"Annie, April, she's fun!" he protests. "And I'm tired of being the responsible one! When do I get to have fun?"

April and I exchange glances before sighing. "So, what does she want from you?" I ask.

"I don't know," he admits. "I'm meeting her later at the Byerly Building. She's got something planned."

"Yeah, like pushing you off the Byerly Building!" April yells.

"It's a trap, Leo!" I tell him.

He shakes his head. "I don't think so. There's good in her. I know there is!"

"I hope you're right," April says. She closes the window after I hop out.

I turn to Leo. "Whoa. That was cold." He doesn't answer. Instead, he heads for the Byerly Building. "Leo! Leo!" I yell. But he keeps on running. I growl and send a quick text to Donnie, running after him.

As I run, I hear a voice from the roof. "Annie! You looking for Leo too?" I look up to see Raph, running. I nod.

"Yeah," I say. "He's going to the Byerly Building."

Once we reach the building, Leo's there, being pinned down by a girl.

"Leo!" I yell. I freeze once I recognize the girl he's with. I growl. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

"I should ask you the same thing," she says, looking amused. "Whoa. You grew pigeon wings?"

"Dove wings!" I bark.

"What...what are you doing?!" Raph yells, obviously surprised at two things: his brother's hanging out with a member of the Foot Clan, and I know her. "Who's she?"

"Um," Leo starts. "Annie and Raph, Karai; Karai, Annie and Raph."

"Yeah," I growl. "We know each other."

"What are you, friends with her?! We're out there risking our necks and you're up here holding hands with the Foot!" He sounds seriously pissed. I am, too.

"I can explain!" Leo says quickly.

"This should be entertaining," Karai says amused. I growl at her.

"You see," Leo starts nervously. "Karai and I share an appreciation for the fine craftsmanship of..." I tune him out, and my glare meets with Karai's amused look.

Suddenly, Snakeweed comes up behind us. "I...found you turtles!" he shouts.

"Oh, thank goodness," Leo mutters. We whip out our weapons, ready to fight.

We dodge an attack. "All is forgiven. You're the leader again. Welcome back," Raph says to Leo. I smile, but it disappears once Snakeweed grabs me and hangs me over the building. It's quite a fall if he drops me.

"Karai!" Leo yells. "Karai! Please! Help!"

She doesn't say anything. She grabs her sword and throws it at him, sticking above his head. "Sayonara," she says. She jumps off the edge of the building. I glare after her. I know this isn't the last time I'll see her.

As the fight goes on, we end up sticking a canister of antifreeze in Snakeweed's mouth and breaking it, freezing the weed monster. Raph jumps up. "Booyakasha!" He stabs him from the head down, breaking the ice monster. "...Nice work."

"Thanks," Leo says. "Good to be back."

"And," Raph starts, looking down. "Sorry."

Leo smiles. "What'd you say? I couldn't hear you."

Raph sighs. "I said I'm SORRY!"

Leo shakes his head. "Ugh. Apology accepted." I chuckle as we walk away from the remains of our enemy.

* * *

Mikey's eyes flutter open as Leo holds the piece of pizza to his face. "Mmm, pepperoni."

"Works every time," Leo says smiling.

Raph grabs Mikey's shoulders. "Mikey! Don't scare me like that, buddy! I thought we lost us!" He gives him a quick hug.

"Dudes," Mikey says. "I had the weirdest dream. I dreamt the stuff in the sewers was made out of—"

"Forget about it, Mikey," Donnie says. "It was just a dream." He presses his finger to his lips and I smile. Suddenly, Raph pulls Leo and me aside.

"So what's with the girl who tried to kill you?" he asks.

Leo smiles at us. "She didn't try to kill me. She saved me."

"She threw a knife at your head," I remind him.

Leo presents Karai's katana. "She threw a knife _near_ my head."

"She's in the Foot Clan," Raph and I say together.

Leo pats both of our shoulders. "Nobody's perfect." He walks away and I smile.

Looks like Leo's got a crush.


	17. School Horrors andKarai!

~Chapter 17~

School Horrors and...Karai?!

Kraang blasts shoot through the air in an attempt to puncture my flesh, but I dodge each and every one. "When fight is concluded, the ones called the turtles will be beaten by Kraang." I slice my sword across one, killing it instantly.

"Ha!" I say as one tries to sneak up behind me. "Ya can't beat me!" I start to slice the blade at it, but Leo beats me to it.

"Don't worry, Annie!" he says. "You're safe now!"

I blink as he jumps away and slides his katanas back into their holsters, glancing up. I look up to see Karai, the kunoichi looking at us. She suddenly runs off, leaving.

"Um, what the heck was that?" Donnie asks Leo.

"Yeah, you trying to impress us?" Mikey hugs his brother. "'Cause it totally worked!"

Raph glares at Leo. He looks at me and nods slightly. He saw Karai, too. "What is it, Raph? Annie?" Donnie asks.

"I thought I saw something," Raph answers. "What about you, Leo?"

"Did you see anything?" I ask.

"No," Leo replies.

Raph and I give him hard glares. "Turtles and bird-kid first, right?" I ask him.

Leo holds our glares. "Turtles and bird-kid first." We keep glaring at him.

Leo wouldn't abandon us for Karai, would he? The question lingers in my mind.

"Do you feel like we're missing something?" Donnie questions Mikey.

"All the time," Mikey says.

* * *

School books and my laptop lay out in front of me. I pick up the Q-tip and open my mouth. I start rubbing the inside of my mouth with the Q-tip.

"Whatcha doing, Annie?" Mikey asks, head on hands.

I place the DNA covered Q-tip into a little sample case. "Sending in a sample for a class project."

"You're mailing in your spit for a class project?" He smiles. "Man! School sounds awesome!"

I glance at the sample case. "It isn't."

He stands up. "Well, I'd be awesome at it. Check this spit out." He inhales deeply, but Donnie suddenly slaps his hands over his brother's mouth.

"Don't!" he growls.

I smile. "It's not about spit. It's about the DNA."

Mikey makes a sound like he's asking what that means. Donnie takes his hands off his mouth. "DNA. Genetic code. You know, the building blocks of life?" Mikey still looks clueless. "Okay. DNA is a microscopic blueprint that tells every living thing what to grow into and why am I still talking to you?"

"I don't know," Mikey admits. "You'd think I would've learned by now."

I twist the cap tightly. "Everyone in our class is sending a DNA sample to this research group: the Worldwide Genome Project. Then they'll send us back a report telling us all about our ancestors. Neat, huh?"

Mikey nods. "Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Wow. It's amazing what they can do these days." He tries to keep a straight face, but bursts into laughs. "I'm just kidding!"

Donnie and I exchange glances, rolling our eyes. Mikey will never understand the true beauty of science.

* * *

"Annie!" I hear a voice. I turn to see Alli, walking towards me. "Where ya headed?"

I hold up the DNA sample. "The school. I gotta send in my DNA sample. Wanna come?"

"Sure!" Alli's eyes light up like Christmas. I smile. Before I became friends with her, nobody ever payed attention to her, much less asked her to hang out with anyone.

We walk into the empty school and up the stairs, where a woman waits for us, her back turned. "Hello. I'm Ms. Campbell. From the Worldwide Genome Project. Are you Annie O'Neil?"

I nod. "Yes."

"I'm here to present your DNA test results." She turns her head. "Come with me."

"Wow," I say, turning to Alli. "I figured you guys were just gonna send printouts."

Ms. Campbell turns around fully to face me and Alli. "No. We don't send printouts. Come with me."

I swallow. Something feels off. "Um...where, exactly?"

"We're going to a place where I will present your DNA test results," Ms. Campbell answers. "Come with me."

"Um...what did you say your name was, again?" I ask.

"I'm Ms. Campbell," she says. "From the Worldwide Genome Project. I'm here to present your DNA test results."

"Right," I mutter. "We gotta go." I turn to leave, but she grabs my arm tightly.

"Come with me."

I gasp.

* * *

"Annie!" Alli yells. I try to pull away from the woman's grasp, but she just pulls me and throws me against the trophy case. I gasp as she tries to punch me, but I dodge it, rolling to the side.

"Thank you, Splinter," I murmur. I turn to see Ms. Campbell's hand stuck in the trophy case. She pulls it out and walks towards me. "Alli!" I yell. "Come on!" We run down the hall and away from the woman.

We run past conference rooms, lockers, and any other things you'd find in a school. We run into one hall and try opening the doors to hide in, but they're all locked.

Suddenly, as Ms. Campbell turns the corner, Alli jumps up and sticks a mascot head on her. I gasp and give her a high-five once we're hidden away in a supply closet. Ms. Campbell walks past the supply closet, eyes glowing red. Once she passes, Alli and I sigh heavily with relief.

I reach into my pocket and pull out my T-Phone, sending a mass text to the turtles. Alli sees the phone and gasps. "Whoa! Sweet phone!"

"Thanks," I whisper. I put it away and turn to her. "I'm sorry I got you into this whole creepy mess."

She shrugs. "It's okay. But I do have a question. How come she asked for your name and only attacked you?"

"It must be because I'm friends with..." I slap my hand over my mouth before I say anything else. The turtles.

"With who?" Alli presses. "Annie, I have the feeling you're not telling me something that I should know."

I sigh. "Alli, there's just some things going on that I can't explain right now. But I promise you'll find out soon, okay?"

She hesitates. "Alright. I understand."

I give her a quick hug. "Thanks, Alli." Suddenly, after an alarm sounds, some metal clashing, missiles launching, and other battle sounds, I turn to Alli again. "Okay. No matter what happens, stay in here, okay? Stay here until I say it's safe to come out."

She nods. "Why?"

I sigh. "Someday you'll understand."

Suddenly, I hear Donnie's voice. "Annie! Where are you?"

I push open the door to see the turtles and a deactivated Ms. Campbell. I kick the now faceless robot, growling. "Ugh! And stay down!" I lay a hand on Donnie's shoulder, which receives a blush from him. "Thank you, guys."

He holds out his arms for a hug, but I just stare at him, smiling and raising my eyebrow playfully. He blushes and pats my head. "You are so welcome." He smiles nervously.

I lean over the robot. "So what the heck is that thing?"

"It looks like a Kraang Droid," Leo says. "Minus the Kraang."

"She said she was from the Worldwide Genome Project," I tell them.

"Whoa!" Mikey says, holding up the robot's face. "How do the Kraang know you sent your DNA spit to the Worldwide thing-a-ma-jig Project?" Raph sees the robot's human face and shrieks, then growls at Mikey.

"The Kraang must've hacked into their system," Donnie says. "Who knows what info they could be stealing?"

"Annie," Leo starts. "You better head to the lair, where it's safe. We'll go check out the Worldwide Genome Project."

"But first, we gotta take down the Eastside High Panthers," Mikey says, looking at a school poster. "According to that poster, they've got it coming."

Suddenly, there's a noise from the supply closet. "Ow! Ugh! This stupid bucket fell on me!" Alli comes out of the closet, throwing the bucket back into it. She shuts the door. "Ugh. Annie, I—" She freezes once she sees the turtles. "Annie...what the heck is going on?!" She backs away from the turtles.

I rush to her side. "Alli, calm down. They aren't gonna hurt you. They're the good guys. Don't worry." I smile, but she glares at me.

"Is this one of the things you promised to tell me about 'someday'?!" she growls. "This is huge! How can you just keep something like this from me?!"

I swallow a hard lump in my throat. Besides April, I have no human friends. I can't lose Alli! "I promised them. I promised I wouldn't tell anyone about them. I'm so sorry."

She takes a deep breath. "Well, I guess I can respect that." She turns back to the turtles, who stare at her. "Who are you?" she breathes.

I start to push her out the door. "I'm sorry, Alli, but they can't talk right now. They've gotta stop a Kraang threat."

"A what?" she asks, clueless.

"I'll explain everything tonight at your place, alright?" I stare at her hopefully. "But you cannot tell a living soul about these four. Do you understand?"

She nods. "Yeah. I'll be waiting at my place then. See ya."

Once she leaves, Leo glares at me. "You've got some explaining to do later, Annie." I sigh.

* * *

We jump the rooftops to get to the Worldwide Genome Project. Somehow, I convinced Leo to let me come with them, even after the whole Alli incident.

As we get to the door, Raph turns to Donnie. "So, how do we get in?"

"Leave it to me," Donnie says, pulling out his lock pick and T-Phone. "I've got an app for that." The turtles groan while I smile dreamily to myself.

As Donnie starts to pick the lock, Raph smirks. "I've got an app for that, too." He kicks the door, breaking it open.

We walk around the building, in the darkness. "You know? For a human lab, this place is awfully Kraangy," Mikey says.

"Guys!" Leo whispers. "I think the Kraang _are_ the Worldwide Genome Project!"

As we reach a room filled with colored bars and a huge tank of mutagen, we take out the Kraang quickly, trapping them in a clear cell. "Now, you two play nice in there," I hiss, smiling at the Kraang brain things.

"What are those?" Leo asks, looking at the colored bars.

Donnie's eyes widen. "Well, it looks like they're collecting DNA from every plant and animal species on Earth."

"What?!" Leo asks.

"Building block, dude," Mikey says, smiling. "Psssh. I'll drop the signs on you later." I smile to myself.

"I wonder what they're doing with all this DNA?" Donnie asks.

"Whatever it is, it can't be good," Leo growls. "Let's shut this place down!"

I look around. "Hey, where's Raph?"

"Gotcha!" his voice comes behind us. I turn and look up. I gasp. He's pinning a girl down. But this girl isn't any ordinary girl.

"Karai!" Leo yells.

"Ka—who?!" Donnie asks, confused.

"Betcha think you're pretty slick," Raph growls. Suddenly, Karai twists his arm and flips him over. I gasp.

"I have my moments," she replies. Raph growls and they attack each other.

"Raph! Karai! Stop this!" Leo yells. I glare at him. I ignore Donnie and Mikey's comments about her and turn to the fighting.

"So this is the stuff that turns people into monsters, huh?" Karai asks. She clashes her sword with Raph's sais. "How does it work?"

"Why don't you lean in a little closer and I'll show ya?" Raph growls at her. Karai slams her head into Raph's, making him fall down. She leaps down, ready to attack again, but Leo comes in between them.

"Enough! You're gonna set off—" _Beep! _"—one of those!"

"Quit it!" I slash my blade at Karai and kick her away, but she comes right back at me, knife in hand. I dodge her attacks, glaring and tripping her.

"Nice going, Leo!" Raph says, angrily. "You protecting her?! She is bad news!"

"No she's not!" Leo protests.

"Yeah, she is!" I scream.

"No, she's NOT!" he yells.

"Yeah, I am," Karai says.

Suddenly, Kraang Droids file into the room, surrounding the turtles, Karai and me. I growl as I get ready to withdraw my sword.

"The ones who are not authorized by the authority of Kraang to exist in this place will now be destroyed by Kraang, in this place."

The turtles and I take out our weapons. "This day just keeps getting better," Karai says.

* * *

Each of us attack Kraang, Karai joining us. I roll my eyes, knowing she's not on our side. "Look!" Leo says happily. "See? She's on our side!"

"Are you even listening to yourself?" Raph asks.

"I like your brother, Leo!" Karai shouts as she takes out three Kraang. "He's almost as entertaining as you."

Raph turns to face her. "Oh, when this is over I'll show you how entertaining I can be."

Suddenly, Kraang Droids roll in a huge cannon-like weapon. A blaster. "Kraang is now arriving to provide the help that has been requested by Kraang."

"We're trapped!" Leo realizes.

"No." I notice Karai isn't near us. Instead, she's leaning on the control pad, near the mutagen. "You're trapped." She hovers her finger over a button. "What happens if I do this?"

"No!" Raph shouts.

"Don't do that!" Leo yells.

"Highly undesirable outcome," a Kraang adds.

"Well, now I gotta," she replies. She pushes it, and at once, the colored bars of DNA are sucked upwards an dumped into the mutagen, creating a storm of colors. I scream as the snake DNA is sucked up; Mikey screams as the cat DNA is sucked up.

Then, a huge tentacle snakes out, grabbing several Kraang before coming out. It meows.

"Awww," Mikey coos. "He's so cute!" Suddenly, it grows in size, opens its mouth and roars. It slashes at us, each of us dodging the attacks.

"Whoa!" Karai says in awe. "That is wicked!"

"How the heck am I gonna name this?!" Mikey asks in confusion.

Karai grabs a Kraang Droid and swings it over her shoulder, carrying it. "Good question. Well, see ya!" She jumps up near the exit.

"You aren't gonna help us beat this thing?!" Leo calls after her. "It's your fault!"

"I'll let the hero handle it!" she shouts back. I growl at her.

Leo looks heartbroken. "I trusted you!"

"I know! That's messed up, right?" Karai yells, disappearing.

I turn to Leo. "Dude, never trust Karai." He glares at me.

I jump to avoid an attack from the mutant, and land next to Raph. "So guys, we all fans of Karai yet?" he asks Mikey and Donnie.

"I don't know who she is but I know I hate her!" Donnie screams.

"That makes two of us!" I yell back to him.

The Kraang start to shoot at the mutant instead of us. "Hey look, Leo," I say. "The Kraang are on our side."

He gives me a death glare. "Save it."

Suddenly, the monster grabs Raph and tries to squeeze him, but he breaks free. "Nice try, Octo-Punk!"

"No! No!" Mikey yells, smiling. "Call him...Octo Eyeball Jelly Bug!" His face falls. "Eh. Let's just call him Justin."

Justin smacks him away, pounds Raph onto the floor, and electrocutes Donnie. "Why?" I mutter. "Why does everything electrocute Donnie?!" Suddenly, Justin shocks me with its eyeballs. "Ow."

I force my eyes open to watch Leo defeat Justin, sending him in flames out he window. "Ha!" Mikey yells. "Take that, Justin!"

Suddenly, the whole building racks with flames. "C'mon!" Leo shouts. "Let's get outta here!"

* * *

We watch the building erupt in flames from Alli's apartment balcony, where she watches the turtles in complete awe.

"So..." Mikey's voice trails off as he stares at Leo.

"We're thinking someone should start talking," Donnie finishes. Leo sighs in defeat.

* * *

"I know I should've told you about Karai sooner," Leo says. "But I really thought there was a chance she would be good. And I guess I sort of...liked her. Go ahead. Laugh."

"Dude," Mikey starts. "I can't believe you trusted her."

Donnie looks hurt. "I can't believe you didn't trust us enough to tell us."

"I was wrong," Leo admits. "I'm really sorry."

April, who's perched next to me, sighs. "I tried to warn him."

"You too, huh?" Raph asks.

Splinter steps forward. "Leonardo, you are not the first young man—or turtle—to make a fool of yourself over a girl."

"What about Donnie?" Mikey asks. His purple-masked brother smacks him.

"However," Splinter continues. "When that girl is a kunoichi in the employment of your enemy, that is an error you cannot afford."

"...Hai, Sensei," Leo says softly.

"Deception is the ninja's most powerful weapon," Splinter tells him. "And it seems Karai is a master."

"I know," Leo says. "We can't trust her. I see that now." Splinter places his hand on his son's shoulder.

"Good," he says. "You must learn from your mistake."

"Thank you for understanding. I'm glad you're not mad." The turtle smiles.

His father turns on him. "Who says I'm not mad?" He takes his cane and stabs the blue-masked turtle's foot. He yelps, falling to the floor.

* * *

I lay in bed with my book, suddenly interrupted by a knock at my window. I turn, expecting it to be Donnie or one of the turtles, but it's Karai. I gasp, and grab my sword from the side of my bed, aiming it at her throat.

"Sheesh!" she hisses. "Calm down! I wanna show you something." When I don't move, she smiles. "Can't old friends hang out?"

My eyes widen as she says that. "Old friends? Old friends?! You hated me when I lived with you, and now you saw we're friends?!" The more I talk, the more I want to shove the blade down her throat.

"Listen," Karai says. "I know all of that. But this is something you're gonna appreciate."

I glare, lowering the blade. "What is it?"

She stands up. "I'll show you. C'mon." She heads out and I follow her, blade in hand. She takes me to the rooftop of the Byerly Building, where we first saw each other.

"Make it quick," I snap.

She smiles and points to the corner of the rooftop. There, laying on his stomach and tongue hanging out on one side of his mouth is Hachiko. I gasp and run to him, hugging him tightly.

"Hachiko!" I cry into his fur. "I've missed you so much! I've been worried sick!" I turn to Karai. "How did you find him?!"

"It was easy," she says, smirking. "Since Shredder had him in his lair." I growl. "But since he believes the dog is dead, I decided to give him to you." Hachiko growls amusingly and licks my cheek.

I snuggle up with my dog. "Thank you, Karai. Thank you."


	18. The Pulverizer and TCRI

~Chapter 18~

The Pulverizer and TCRI

We sit on the side of the tracks in the subway near the lair, waiting for the purple-masked turtle to show us something.

Mikey groans. "What's taking so long? Donnie knows I have a short atten—ooh! Gum!" He picks up a piece from the tracks, but Raph smacks it out of his hand.

"Man," he mutters. "This better be worth it." Suddenly, a huge subway car rolls up on the tracks, all geared up and upgraded. We all stare in amazement. "Worth it."

The doors slide open and Donnie appears, leaning in the doorway. "So?"

We all come closer to admire it. "You turned Leatherhead's old subway car into this?!" Leo asks, amazed.

"Donnie, have I ever told you how awesome you are?" Raph asks.

"No, you haven't," Donnie says, smiling.

"Well, I'm seriously considering it," Raph says.

"What do you call this thing?" I ask.

"Well," Donnie starts. "It's a Transaxle Multi-Armored Electromagnetic—"

"Shellraiser!" Mikey says.

Donnie and I exchange glances. "...What?" he asks.

"The Shellraiser!" Mikey says, smiling. "It's the perfect name!"

The brothers and I look at each other, silently agreeing. "That is the perfect name," Leo realizes.

"Of course it is, bro," Mikey says. "You guys always underestimate me. Ooh! Gum!"

We step inside the Shellraiser and ooh and ahh at the inside of it. Donnie sits down at a small desk. He pushes a button and the inside lights up with power. "Now, I've assigned everyone a station based on your individual skill sets. I can't drive, because my stations in the back. So—"

"Driver!" the turtles exclaim at once. They rush to the driver's station, and start to argue. I turn to Donnie, who hands me his staff. I grin and walk to the station, and smack the staff down. That seems to shut them all up.

Donnie glares. "Leo drives."

Mikey and Raph stare at him. "Why?!"

"He's least likely to hit something just for fun," Donnie answers.

"True," the brothers admit together. They go to separate stations, Mikey in navigation and Raph in weapons. I head to the back, where Donnie motions me to handle the radio and sound waves.

"Alright," Leo starts. "How do we get this baby going?"

Donnie hooks up to a little video camera. "Okay. Just ease the throttle forward ever so—" Suddenly, the Shellraiser lurches forward, throwing us back.

Raph smiles. "Woo! What is powering this thing?"

"The Kraang power cell we got from Leatherhead!" Donnie answers back.

I turn to see the glowing tube of power in a small case on the floor between me and Donnie. "I thought you said that was dangerous, like the Kraang could track it," I say, worried.

But Donnie only smiles. "That's why I put it under a lead glass shield. Now I can regulate the output and prevent the Kraang from detecting its signal."

"I hate to interrupt, but...dead end!" Mikey yells, pointing pointing to the screen. Sure enough, there's a dead end up ahead.

"Uh, Donnie!" Leo yells from the front. "How do I stop this thing?"

Donnie appears on the screen in front of Leo. "Don't!"

"What?!" Leo exclaims.

"Trust me!" Donnie says.

The Shellraiser speeds closer to the dead end, Leo, Raph, Mikey and me screaming in terror. But Donnie, who's the only calm one in the vehicle, pushes a button, which opens the dead end, the Shellraiser leaping onto the road. It cruises smoothly on the road, swerving at each turn.

"Donnie, you're awesome!" Raph yells.

* * *

After an awesome while of driving the Shellraiser, Mikey starts humming. "Does this thing have a stereo?"

"What good would this thing be without some tunes?" Donnie asks. He pushes another button, letting old piano music fill our ears. Ow.

"Are you serious?" Raph honestly asks his purple-masked brother.

Donnie smiles. "Check out the second movement." He presses another button, and our ears are washed with heavy metal music. We all cheer and have a mini teen-like celebration, laughing, and having an awesome time.

Suddenly, the vehicle pulls to a stop. We go over to Leo, where we see three familiar faces, carrying a crate. "Purple Dragons!" Leo exclaims. "Oh. This night just keeps getting better and better!"

"Oh, yeah," the red-masked turtle agrees, cracking his knuckles. "It's like candy for my knuckles. And tonight's Halloween."

Donnie's eyes widen. "Wait a minute! Who's that?" He points to a shadowy figure in front of the Purple Dragons.

"Excuse me, boys," the figure says. I realize it's a dude. "I think you forgot to pay for that. But don't worry. I accept cash, check, or teeth."

Leo smiles. "Huh. That was a pretty good line."

"What are you gonna do about it?" Fong challenges,dropping the crate. "There's one of you and three of us."

"Oh, ya wanna call a couple friends, make it even?" the shadow retorts, jumping down.

"This guy's got guts," Raph comments.

The figure steps out into the light. "It's time to face the wrath of...the Pulverizer!"

Mikey giggles. "This is gonna be great!" The Pulverizer punches the air, not coming close to the enemy, and not even making an effort to come close or in contact with the Dragons.

"Or...not," Leo says.

The Dragons smirk and come closer to the teen. The turtles and I wince as the teen gets beaten up. "Oh, the Pulverizer's getting just...well, I don't know the word, but we gotta help him!" Mikey says.

We sneak out of the Shellraiser and sneak up behind the Dragons, surrounding them. "How do you like the odds now, Fong?" I growl.

The Pulverizer smiles. "Whoa! The turtles an bird-kid!"

"How does he know who we—" Donnie's cut off by a Dragon punching him. I tackle him and throw him to the side, growling.

Suddenly, one of the Dragons takes me from behind, wrapping his arms around my neck. I choke, needing to breathe. I see Fong grab the crate and run. "Fong's getting away!" I choke out. Suddenly, I feel the pressure on my neck be released. I turn to see Raph, pulling the Dragon off of me. I give him a quick 'thank-you' smile.

"Oh, no he don't!" Mikey yells, throwing the chain of his nun-chuck.

"I got him!" the Pulverizer yells, chasing after Fong. But he gets in the way and the chain wraps around him instead of Fong, letting him escape. "Oh, dang. Almost had 'em."

"Not cool, bro," Mikey mutters, unwrapping the chain. Suddenly, we hear sirens.

Leo starts to run to the Shellraiser. "Cops! We gotta go!" We run after him.

"Oh, hey!" the Pulverizer says, running after us. "Uh, great teamwork, guys!"

I roll my eyes as I follow the turtles into the Shellraiser. What a dork. The doors shut and Donnie puts on the music. Suddenly, a faint yelling interrupts my hearing. "Do you guys hear something?" They all shake their heads.

* * *

Once we pull into the entrance of the lair using the subway tracks, Donnie's the first one out. His eyes widen. "We got a problem!" We look out to see the Pulverizer on the floor.

"What the?!" I seriously don't want to deal with this guy right now. I don't even know him but he seems pretty annoying.

"Are you okay?" Donnie asks.

The Pulverizer smiles weakly. "Sure. Y-you can survive with just one kidney, right?" I shrug.

"Great!" Raph groans. "First this doofus gets in the way of a good Purple Dragon stomping, and now he knows where our lair is?!"

"Oh, no problem," the teen moans. "I blacked out most of the way here."

Donnie stand up, next to me. "How do you even know we exist?"

"I saw you months ago!" the Pulverizer says, smiling. My eyes widen. Months?! "Yeah, you were all like—" He points to Leo. "'Let's finish this!' Oh, and you were like—" He motions to Raph. "'You're going down!' Oh, and you were like all 'Bees!'" He motions to Mikey and me at that part. "And you were like...you were like the strong silent type." He says that to Donnie.

Mikey leans in towards us. "Dudes! We have a stalker!"

"And that's good?!" I hiss.

"You inspired me to become a hero," the Pulverizer continues. "I looked at you guys and thought 'what have they got that I haven't got?"

Donnie and I exchange glances. "Years of training under a grand master of ninjutsu?" Donnie asks.

"No," the teen answers. "An awesome costume. Where's you get yours, by the way?"

"Uh, we are not wearing costumes," Donnie says, sounding slightly annoyed. "We're mutants."

The Pulverizer smiles. "Right." His smile suddenly disappears, and he touches Mikey's shell and my wings. It takes all my self control to not slap the crap out of him. "Cool! How do I do that?"

"You! Stop talking!" Raph commands. He turns back to us. "We gotta get him outta here." Suddenly, he's not here anymore.

"Whoa!" his voice comes from the lair. "This place is amazing! What's with all the pizza boxes?!"

I turn to Mikey. "You'd better protect your pizza," I whisper.

* * *

"Hey! Don't touch that!" Donnie hisses as the Pulverizer holds a deactivated Metalhead.

He picks up a piece of tech. "Hey, what's this?" He admires it until I snatch it out of his hands. "That looks like that stuff those guys were stealing."

"That's impossible," Donnie says. "It's Kraang tech."

"What's a Kraang?" the teen asks.

"If we told you, we'd have to kill you," Raph says. He smirks. "You see, the Kraang are aliens from another dimension."

I elbow him and turn back to the Pulverizer. "Why would the Purple Dimwits want Kraang robotics? It's not like they'd know what to do with it."

"Unless they're stealing it for someone else," Raph suggests.

"Well, who do we know that would be interested in stolen evil robot parts?" Donnie asks.

We all speak at the same time. "Baxter Stockman!"

"Donatello..." We all look at Mikey. "...Baxter Stockman."

"We'll check it out," Leo says. "Donnie, Annie, fix the Shellraiser, and take Captain Rubberpants home." The three turtles run out of the lab.

"Wait! Why do we have to?!" Donnie yells.

"I don't wanna be stuck with an idiot for the rest of the night!" I growl.

"So what now?" the Pulverizer asks. He leans on something, and I hear the clash of metal. I hold my head. Tonight's gonna be a long one.

* * *

Donnie and I sit on the top of the Shellraiser, wearing goggles and working on it. The idiot plays with Donnie's staff. He obviously doesn't have any experience with a weapon, since he just waves it around.

"Wicked staff!" he yells.

Donnie doesn't look up from his work. "Put that down."

"Check out my sweet moves!" he shouts.

"I said put that down!" Donnie repeats.

"No, let me show you this one thing!" He starts to twirl the staff, but he loses his grip and it comes at us, spinning.

I gasp as it's about to connect with my head, but Donnie snatches it as it comes right in front of my face. "Look! We're busy here!" He sighs and jumps down. "If you must play wih the staff, and apparently you must, try this." He starts twirling the staff. "Okay, you see what I'm doing? Slowly, keep you hands near your center. Switch sides. Smooth...fluid. Right?" He hands the staff to the Pulverizer, who starts to twirl it slowly. "Okay. Not bad."

"Oh, yeah!" He spins it too fast and it smacks him on the head. He gives us a thumbs up. "I got it!"

I jump down and glare. "What? You think you can just put a sword under your pillow and wake up a samurai? Ya gotta practice! It takes more than a cheesy costume to be a hero."

"Pretty sweet, huh?" he asks. "Check out the muscles."

"The what?" I mutter. He flexes his rubber, making it squeak.

"Foam rubber," he says. "Way faster than working out. I wanna be a hero now! I don't have time for the basics! Show me the good stuff!"

I sigh and take the staff from him. "Alright. One more." But instead of handing the staff to Donnie, I start doing a series of moves (I've taught myself by watching Donnie). "Jab. Block. Step. Twirl. Backflip...strike!" I leave both boys in shock. I smile at Donnie's open mouth. "I've taught myself some stuff."

I hand the staff to the Pulverizer. "Okay. Got it." He starts to move. "Jab—ah!" He presses the button on the staff and the blade comes out, almost stabbing his head.

"Damn," I mutter. "Almost got his head."

Donnie crosses his arms after elbowing me. "And that's why we start with the basics."

While I finish up with the Shellraiser, Donnie tries to teach the Pulverizer some basic punches, kicks, and other moves. I'll put it this way: he sucks. He fails at everything, thinking he's got it.

When Donnie's in the dojo trying to teach him how to roll properly, the Pulverizer rolls straight into a room. "No! Stop!" Donnie yells. "You're headed for—" 'Crash!' "...Splinter's room."

"Donatello! Ann Elizabeth!" Splinter comes out, carrying the Pulverizer by the scruff of his costume. "Does this belong to you?"

"No," I say. Donnie nudges me and nods.

"Sensei, Pulverizer; Pulverizer, Sensei," Donnie says.

The Pulverizer waves to Splinter. "Please to meet you." He turns to us. "Hey, does he know he's a rat?"

Splinter drops him. "He knows."

"I'm sorry, Sensei," Donnie apologizes. "We found him on the street trying to fight the Purple Dragons, and he accidentally wound up back in the lair. So, I thought I'd teach him a few basics..."

"Yeah! And he's doing a great job! Check this out!" The idiot starts moving and fighting, and I face-palm.

"Apparently, you have not taught him shame," Splinter says. "May I speak with you two for a moment?"

"Hai, Sensei," we say in unison.

He takes us away from the teen, and turns to us. "Donatello, Ann Elizabeth, he has no business learning our art. He's...a doofus."

"Hai, Sensei," Donnie says. "But he's gonna put himself at risk no matter what I do. So I just wanna teach him enough so he doesn't get creamed."

Splinter hesitates. "You may. But, if you train him, you are responsible for what ever happens." We hear a stabbing noise and turn. The staff's blade is lodged into the wall, and the Pulverizer tries to get it out, falling. Splinter puts a hand on our shoulders. "Good luck."

* * *

Suddenly, Donnie grabs his toolbox filled with medicine and stuff and gets into the Shellraiser. He turns to the Pulverizer. "Hey, you know how to drive?"

"Are you kidding?" he asks. "I've been driving an ice cream truck all summer."

I turn to Donnie. "No wonder he moves like a bag of pudding."

* * *

"Whoa!" Donnie yells. "Watch out!" We hold onto the bars in the Shellraiser. "I thought you said you knew how to drive!"

"I usually don't go over eight miles an hour," he answers. I face-palm.

"Just try to hold it steady," Donnie says, sitting down. "I gotta mix this antidote for Raph." He puts his T-Phone on speaker. "What are his symptoms?"

"He keeps telling me I'm the smartest guy he knows," Mikey's voice comes through. I giggle at that.

Donnie pours a liquid in a tube. "Okay, okay. He's delusional. How's his color?"

"Green, man!" Mikey answers. "And I mean way more than usual!"

Suddenly, the vehicle hits a bump and I go flying, right into the bar and on Donnie. We both blush. "Does he have any nausea?"

"No he...aww! Check that! Ugh, what the...I knew you ate my pizza! You liar!" Mikey yells. "Donnie, get here now!"

"Almost there," Donnie assures his brother, looking over the Pulverizer's shoulder.

"The road's blocked!" the Pulverizer realizes. "We gotta go around."

"No time to go around!" Donnie hisses. "You gotta jump it!"

"What?" he asks.

"You wanna be a hero, jump it!" Donnie says.

"Yeah, about that hero thing..."

Donnie grabs the wheel. "Jump it!" The Shellraiser slams into the signs and jumps the road block, smashing through the wall of the building.

On one of the screens, I see a mutated fish with robotic legs, screaming at us. I use one of the weapon blasters—I don't know which one it is—and take it out with one shot. "Gotcha!"

We run out of the Shellraiser, and as the Pulverizer and Donnie run to Raph, I take out my sword and aim it at the fish, daring it to come closer. It doesn't.

After Donnie injects the medicine in Raph, I help him up, glaring at the Pulverizer. "That was awesome! We saved him!"

"We saved him?!" Donnie yells. "You wanted to stop and sell ice cream! If I hadn't jumped and smashed through that wall—"

I cut him off. "Uh, Donnie? Is the Shellraiser supposed to do that?" Pink lines cover it. We rush inside and kneel down to the power cell. The case is cracked.

"It's cracked," Donnie murmurs. "This is bad. The Kraang can detect that energy signature. We gotta get back underground before they come looking for the power cell!"

* * *

White vans try to surround the moving Shellraiser, but we avoid them, shooting at them and destroying them. Suddenly, I hear a sound from above.

"Guys!" Leo shouts. "The Kraang are on the roof!"

We jump up and stand on the roof, ready to fight. Suddenly, Kraang fly at us, wings on their backs. "Leo!" Mikey yells. "Kraang can fly! Kraang can fly!" One of them knocks him off, but he grabs the side of the roof.

Donnie and I whack, smack and defeat the robots that come after us. Suddenly, a van comes in front of the Shellraiser, and Leo swerves to the side to avoid hitting it. We all scream as the vehicle slams into the wall, stopping. We jump and start fighting the robots, destroying them.

One tries to saw me with one of their saws on the gun, but I dodge and slash my blade at it, letting the brain thing scurry away in terror. Suddenly, I see one run out of the Shellraiser, a pink canister in its hand. "He's got the cell!"

"I'll stop him!" the Pulverizer yells, running after the Kraang.

"Pulverizer!" Donnie shouts. "No!"

"I can do this!" he says.

"You really can't!" Donnie yells back.

The Pulverizer slides and tries to take the Kraang down, but it grabs him and throws him against the wall. Two other Kraang start torturing him.

"Hey!" Donnie yells at the Kraang with the cell. "That's my power source, slime-bot!" He skids to a stop once he sees the Pulverizer in Kraang hands.

"Donnie!" he screams.

Donnie murmurs something to himself, and then says, "Oh, crud!" He throws his staff at the Kraang holding a gun and it knocks it out of its hand, letting Donnie whack them away.

A the helicopter starts to lift off with the cell, I fly up and grab onto the door, using my blade to slash away the Kraang. Suddenly, one of them points their gun at my right wing and fires. I yelp in pain and I lose my grip, falling towards the ground. I expect to land on the cold pavement, but instead I'm caught in someone's arms. I look up to see Donnie, his arms around me. He blushes and lets me get up.

"Aw, man," the Pulverizer mutters. "Looks like I mucked everything up, didn't I?"

"Hey, bro, it's not your fault," Mikey says.

"Um, actually Mikey, it is," Leo tells him.

"Oh, yeah," he realizes.

Donnie looks at us, and me. "Not completely. I'm the one who sent the Shellraiser through the wall, and that's what cracke the power cell."

"So..." The Pulverizer smiles hopefully. "You think we can pick up on our training sometime?"

Donnie puts a hand on his shoulder. "No."

"Fine," the teen answers. "But I'll be practicing! And I'll be back! And wherever crime may roam, wherever help is—"

"Bye!" all of us say in unison. He hangs his head and walks off.

Donnie looks thoughtfully. "I gotta figure out how we're gonna get that power cell back."

"Which raises the question," Leo says. "How are we gonna get the Shellraiser home?"

* * *

Leo, Raph, Mikey and I push the Shellraiser on the subway tracks, groaning and sweating. "You sure the parking break isn't on?!" Raph yells.

"For the hundredth time, yes!" Donnie yells back. "Oh, wait. Sorry guys!" The door opens. "Uh...try it now." We push and it feels so much easier.

"Donnie!"

* * *

My motorized bike, much like the ones the pizza delivery guys drive, is attached to the All-Terrain Patrol Buggies. The good part: I don't have to drive it. The bad part: who's car am I attached to?!

"Stay on 'em, Leo!" Donnie shouts from the car. "My Kraang app's tripping out! It's picking up the signal from the power cell!"

"Again?" I yell. "Last time that thing led us to a burrito and a microwave!"

"Left!" Donnie shouts. Suddenly, we're yanked back, following the signal. "Left again! They're getting away! Right!" We're jerked to the right my bike swerving with the cars.

"Look out!" Raph yells. A truck comes up in front of us.

Donnie shakes. "Left right! Left right!"

Suddenly, the cars break apart, and I ride with Donnie's car. I inhale shakily. Good thing Donnie installed a seatbelt in my bike for stuff like this. The cars attached together, me riding along.

Mikey cheers. "Woo! Yeah! This is more fun than a shriner's parade!"

"What are you saying?!" Raph yells.

"Right!" Donnie screams.

We jerk to the right, and I'm certain I'm majorly gonna throw. Ugh. Great. I've spent too much time with the turtles that I'm starting to talk like Mikey. Suddenly, we spin right into an alley. Leo swerves and we spin to avoid colliding with the dead end.

Donnie's T-Phone flies out of his hand, smacking against the wall and shutting down, and breaking the glass screen. We watch the helicopter with the Kraang and power cell fly away. "We lost 'em," Donnie says, defeated. He groans in defeat.

We pile out of the cars and I swallow sick from my stomach. I shudder as I move. "Guys, please don't drive that fast again!" I run behind a dumpster and throw up spit, gagging. I look at the turtles after wiping my mouth. They all have disgusted looks on their faces.

"That's it!" Leo announces. "We're going to see Leatherhead."

Donnie's eyes widen. "Uh, L-Leatherhead?"

"He's the one who took the power cell from the Kraang; he's the one who might know where to find it," Leo explains.

"He's also the one who likes to grab my face and shake me like a rag doll!" Donnie yells.

I glare at him. "Dude! I just puked over your stupid power cell and you don't wanna go to the source of the answer because of that."

Mikey laughs. "Good times!"

"Zip it!" Donnie growls.

"Oh c'mon! He's a pussycat!" Mikey says. "Who likes to grab your face and shake you like a rag doll!" Donnie gives him one of those death glares. "Right...let's move!" I chuckle.

* * *

I gasp for breath as we come up for air from swimming. "Oh, thank The Lord for oxygen!" I take deep breaths and inhale deeply.

"Who can hold their breath? We can!" Mikey says proudly.

"We wouldn't have had to if you hadn't kept swimming off to pick up trash," Raph says.

"One man's trash is another man's treasure," Mikey coos, snuggling up to the trash.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's every man's trash," Raph mutters.

Suddenly, we hear a gurgling and rumbling noise. We turn to see Leatherhead, sleeping.

"There he is," Leo whispers. "We don't wanna alarm him, so no one make any sudden moves."

"Aww!" Mikey whispers. "Look how cute!" Suddenly, Leatherhead roars and snaps in his sleep. Mikey shrieks and lurches backwards.

"Who's gonna wake him up?" Donnie asks.

The turtles and I exchange glances. "Not it!" We scurry away, leaving Mikey.

He smiles. "Yes! I win!" His expression turns to scared as he's pushed towards Leatherhead by Leo. Mikey pokes him. "Leatherhead. Wakey wakey eggs and bakey!" Suddenly, Leatherhead's eyes shoot open, the clear covering over his pupils. He roars.

"Can we make sudden moves now?!" Donnie shrieks. Leatherhead runs forward and grabs Donnie by the face, shaking him. "He's grabbing me by the face again!"

Leatherhead roars and attacks us, and we dodge his attacks. He swipes his hand at me, but I jump to the side.

"He must be having a nightmare!" Mikey yells.

"That makes two of us!" Donnie screams.

"Three counting me," I whisper. I hate seeing the one I love being hurt and shaken like a rag doll.

Suddenly, Leatherhead throws the purple-masked turtle into the wall and smacks his tail at me and Raph. The red-masked turtle jumps on him. "He's your friend, Mikey! What do we do?!"

"Rub his belly!" Mikey suggests. "He likes that!"

"What are you saying?" Suddenly, Leatherhead slams his back into the wall, making Raph lose his grip and fall.

"Leatherhead!" Mikey screams. "C'mon, dude. It's Michelangelo. Turn off the crazy eyes, buddy." Leatherhead grabs Mikey and roars. Suddenly, as he prepares to deliver the killing blow, the clear covering on his eyes disappear. He groans.

"Michelangelo?" he asks. He places Mikey down as he looks around at us, beaten and hurt. "My friends. Oh, no. I got angry again, didn't I?"

"Yes!" Donnie yells. "You did it again! Why do you keep grabbing my face? What is wrong with my face?!"

Raph squeezes water from his mask tails. "Would you like the list alphabetically or in descending order of grossness?"

"I am sorry," Leatherhead says. "You are my friends. The only ones I can truly trust. That's why I gave you the power cell for safe keeping."

We exchange glances. "Yeah, um...it's um," Donnie stutters as he hides behind Leo.

"Um, about that," Leo begins.

"Funny story," Mikey says. "True story!"

"But, before we tell it, why don't you sit down," Donnie suggests. "And I, and my face, will take one big step backwards." He backs away, so his shell is touching the wall almost. "Okay. Go ahead."

"Well, about the power cell, we sorta lost it..." Leo's voice trails off. Leatherhead's eyes shield behind the covering, and I step back. Oh crap. "To the Kraang." Leo runs off besides me.

Leatherhead roars and grabs Donnie's face, slamming him into the ground. Suddenly, Leatherhead murmurs to himself. "No, Leatherhead. These are your friends." He sighs. "Obviously you did everything you could to protect it." He starts playing with Donnie's face.

"Well, um, to be honest—" Mikey starts. Raph starts pulling on Mikey's face.

"Yes," he says. "That's exactly what happened."

"Leatherhead, we need to get it back!" Leo announces.

Leatherhead sits down. "With the power cell, the Kraang can open the portal to Dimension X. And when it opens—"

"They can use it to bring anything from their home here!" Donnie realizes.

"Things so horrible, they terrify even me," Leatherhead growls.

"We need to keep that portal from opening," Leo says. "Can you tell us where it is?"

Leatherhead sighs. "All I remember is this." He uses his claw to draw a small symbol in the ground. Donnie uses his T-Phone to take a picture of it.

* * *

"I know I've seen this symbol," he whispers. "It's so familiar!" On his desk, he has Metalhead's head, an empty mutagen canister, and the T-Phone picture.

"The Olympics!" Mikey suggests.

"No!" Donnie snaps.

"I got it!" Mikey announces. "The Olympics!"

"Stop guessing!" Donnie growls. "Obviously, it's a Kraang symbol."

"But from where?" I ask.

"The Olympics!" Mikey announces.

"Quit it!" Donnie yells. "There's something here and I can figure it out if you'll all just go away and let me think!" My eyes widen as the turtles and I back out of the lab. Donnie's never sounded so stressed. My hands ache to give him a massage. My heart beats quicker at the though of my little hands on his perfect emerald flesh.

* * *

"Donnie!" I yell. "Slow down!" The turtles and I follow him across the rooftops.

"Just hurry up!" he shouts back.

"I hate when he's like this!" Raph groans.

Finally, Donnie stops on a small building. "I figured out where else I've seen this." He points to Susan's workplace.

"TCRI?!" I ask.

"They're behind the Kraang plot?!" Raph asks, amazed and surprised.

"The invasion?" Leo adds.

"The Olympics?" Mikey asks, jogging in place. Raph smacks him. "What was that?!"

"A new Olympic event," his brother replies. Mikey glares.

Donnie stares at the office building. "They've been in plain sight the whole time! We just haven't realized!"

"I think it's pretty obvious what we have to do," Leo says. "We're going in there and taking out that portal."

* * *

I spread out blueprints on the kitchen table in the lair. "I managed to download blueprints for TCRI, thanks to my aunt's help. Now, the bottom two thirds are just a normal office building. And, from what I can tell, normal humans work there."

"Imagine if they knew who they were working for," Leo mutters. He starts mimicking the Kraang. "The ones who are working for this place must punch the card that is known as the 'timecard' in the clock that is known as the clock of time!" Splinter and I stare at him, not amused. He chuckles to himself. "Sorry. Where were we?"

"Hm," Splinter says. "What about the upper floors?"

"Well, that's the thing," I say, pointing to the blueprints. "The top third is completely blank."

Leo points a small knife-like weapon at the to of the blueprint. "Whatever they built up there, they didn't want anyone to know about it."

"Which means that is exactly where you have to go," Splinter says.

"First, we need to figure out how to get past security in the lobby," Leo says.

"Tricky," I murmur. "It's not like we can just pack you in a box and send a special delivery." Leo smiles thoughtfully at me.

* * *

In my gray/brown coat, I push the box carrying the turtles into the TCRI building. I expect to see Susan working, but I remember she's out with her friends tonight.

"Special delivery!" I yell. I use the yoyo April gave me to push open the elevator button and roll the box in. "Good luck, guys!" I murmur.

Suddenly, a woman grabs my arm, and I recognize her as Ms. Campbell. "I must ask you to leave. We are closed right now." She grips my arm tightly and I try to break free.

"The package that is delivered to us by you will not be delivered by you to us because you will be stopped by us before you—" Kraang surround me.

"Love to chat, but I gotta run!" I say. I whip out my T-Phone and blind Ms. Campbell with the photo flash. I swing the yoyo around and run out, sliding out before the cage doors close on me. "Open with care, Kraang chumps!" I yell as I run away.

* * *

The next day, since I dropped off the turtles at midnight, I barely pay attention at school. I haven't heard any word from Donnie or the others, and I sense something's really off.

Alli slaps me awake when I fall asleep in lunch. I look at her. "I'm sorry," I say. "The turtles are on a mission and I haven't heard any word from them. I'm really scared, Alli."

Her eyes widen. "Annie, all of the turtles are on this mission?!" I nod. "Um, mind telling me what there names are again?"

"The one with the blue mask is Leo, the red is Raph, the purple is Donnie, and the orange is Mikey," I say. Alli nods.

"Alright." She suddenly receives a text message and gets up. "I gotta go. I left my science homework in my locker and gotta get it." She grabs her books and leaves.

I realize she left her science notebook out. "Huh. I'll give it to her in science next period." I take it and suddenly, a paper falls out of it. I take it and unfold it.

Sketches and drawings of one of the turtles are on the paper, surrounded by hearts. I smile at how she hasn't missed a single detail, and the turtle looks so realistic. Suddenly, my heart stops. The turtle she sketched has a lightning bolt chip in his plastron, the longest mask tails of any of the others, and the mask is colored the same color as my hair. Red.

"Oh my God!" I gasp. "Alli's in love with Raph!"

* * *

Once we're in science class, Alli sees her science notebook in my hands. "Oh, thank God you found it!"

I sigh. "Alli, I found this. It fell out of your notebook." I hand her the folded paper. She blushes.

"Um, yeah. About that..." She swallows. "I'm sorry, Annie! I didn't plan it that way, and he really stood out! And he just seems so...I'm really sorry!"

"Calm down, Alli," I say. "It's okay no like one of them, too. But I wonder how he'd react to you having a crush on him."

Her eyes grow teary. "No! Please, don't tell him! This is my first crush and I don't wanna lose sight of him! Please don't tell!"

"Don't worry," I assure her. "I won't tell him. That's your job, when the time is right."

* * *

I pace around the empty living room of the lair, with no one to talk to but Splinter. He sits on the couch, looking worried.

"It's been almost a day! Shouldn't they be back by now?" I feel tears come into my eyes. I can't lose Donnie, and Alli can't lose Raph! Suddenly, I hear a noise. I look up to see the turtles enter the lair. I smile with relief. "You're okay!" I run to Donnie and hug him tightly. He hugs me back, and I bury my face in his shoulder. "Thank Heavens you're okay," I whisper, so only he can hear.

"Welcome home, my sons," Splinter greets, standing up. "Was your mission successful?"

The turtles look sad. "Afraid not, Sensei," Leo answers. "Leatherhead's gone." I give them sympathy looks and rest my hand on Donnie's shoulder, looking into his beautiful eyes.

"Yeah," Mikey says. "But he saved us. And I found this!" He holds up a camera-like device.

"Oh, good. Now you're picking up alien trash," Raph mumbles. I smile inside. What does Alli see in that guy?

Donnie grabs the device from Mikey. "Do you realize what this is?"

"Shiny," Mikey answers.

"It's a Kraang data storage device," Donnie says happily. "If I can decode it, maybe it can help us find a way to stop 'em!"

* * *

Later in the night, after the turtles explain what had happened, I speak. "This just doesn't make sense. If the Kraang are trying to terraform the Earth, what do they need my dad for?"

"Well, he is a scientist," Leo points out.

I nod. "Yeah, but he's a psychologist. He studies rats running through mazes." I wince and turn to Splinter. "No offense."

"I like a good maze," Splinter says.

"My dad wouldn't know anything about what they're trying to do," I continue.

"But if they didn't need your dad, why were they after him in the first place?" Raph asks me. I shrug.

"I don't think they were," Donnie speaks, coming into the room.

* * *

We huddle around Donnie as he clicks the keys on his computer. "I used the Kraang processor inside Metalhead to access that storage device. A lot of the files are damaged, but I think I've found what they're after." His voice breaks with every word, like he's going to break down in tears any second.

He presses a key on the keyboard and the screen shoots up with pictures. A girl. Red hair. Blue eyes. Green clothing. _Yellow wings_.

I gasp and hold Donnie's shoulders for support. "T-they're after me?!"


	19. Cockroach Mutant and My New Weapon

~Chapter 19~

Cockroach Mutant and My New Weapon

When the horrible idea known as school ends, Alli and I walk home together. Suddenly, a small baby cockroach scurries up to us, squeaking.

Alli's blue eyes widen and she yelps, hiding behind me. "Get it away from me! Get it away!" She shakes as the roach comes closer.

I roll my eyes. "Oh, c'mon, Alli. It's a baby! They don't bite much." I kneel down and gently pick it up. "See? He's harmless." I hold it to Alli and she screams. I shrug and place it down. "Alli, I had no idea you have a fear of bugs."

She shrugs. "I love butterflies and bumblebees, but other arthropods just creep me out." She sighs. "I wonder if Raph can handle being around bugs," she murmurs.

I place a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. You're not the only one who's terrified of insects."

* * *

At the lair, the turtles and I snack on some ramen. Suddenly, I see a little brown shape scurry on the table. A cockroach stares at me in the eyes before looking at Leo and then Mikey. I notice a small camera on his head and smile, thinking the one who put it there is Donnie.

Suddenly, I hear Raph shriek. "Roach! Roach!" I smile to myself, knowing Alli would be happy that he shares her fear.

His hand slowly grabs his sai and he tries to kill the roach, but it runs back and tries to escape. Raph even climbs on the table to stab the roach, but it escapes.

Donnie runs into the kitchen. "Stop! Stop! You'll smash him!"

"That's the idea!" Raph retorts. The roach runs into Donnie's hand and he holds it protectively.

"You can't smash this roach, okay?" Donnie growls. He looks at the roach. "He's special." He nuzzles the roach and I feel jealousy rise up in me. I'm beginning to think he likes that roach more than me. "Really special." He holds up the roach.

Leo sighs. "Okay, I'm going to regret this, but why is he special, Donnie?"

"Because I outfitted him with a remote controlled camera helmet!" Donnie says proudly.

"Well, that explains why your special," Leo says.

"We can send him into TCRI and spy on the Kraang," Donnie continues. "The camera allows us to see whatever the cockroach sees." He pushes a button on his laptop that shows Raph shrieking.

Mikey laughs. "That is awesome! Big tough Raph is scared of cockroaches!"

"I am not!" he protests.

"Oh, really? Let's go to the video," Mikey says, replaying it. "This is my favorite part right here!" He pauses it when Raph shrieks. "Donnie, can I get this on a T-shirt?"

"Wanna see my favorite part?" Raph grabs his brother and flips him over the table.

Donnie smiles at me. "We're gonna spy on the Kraang...with a cockroach!" The small bug squeaks happily.

* * *

We sit in the Shellraiser, hovering over Donnie. He controls the roach inside TCRI. "C'mon, Roach Number One. Make Papa proud," he murmurs. I blush slightly at the idea of me as his wife.

I shake by head. I shouldn't be having these thoughts! We're both fifteen! I shouldn't be having these...daydreams about us being a couple...married, and having...you get the point/ idea.

My heart quickens at the thought of his body pressed against mine, his lips exploring every inch of me, and sweat making our bodies stick together. His fingers running through my hair, my tiny hands rubbing along his pale emerald arms, feeling his muscles, and his mouth being pressed onto mine. His voice being heard throughout the room in soft moans and cries, and both of us enjoying the pleasure.

I swallow a dry lump in my throat as I start to sweat in uncomfortableness. The thought of us sharing each other, our bodies intertwined, and our moans surrounding us makes my legs shake. I'm greatful no one notices me being so uncomfortable.

Suddenly, Leo's voice breaks me out of my thoughts. "Wait, what are those guys talking about? Can you get closer?" I turn to the screen to see two Kraang talking in front of a pink screen. Donnie uses the controlling remote to inch the roach closer.

"That which is known as the next phase of the Kraang invasion to the planet known as Earth will soon begin," one says.

"Next phase?" I ask. "That doesn't sound good." I lean on Donnie's chair.

"That which is the laser drill will drill a hole in the planet known as Earth that is a hole thirty miles deep in the Earth," the same one continues.

Donnie hooks his T-Phone up to the computer so he can see the pink screen, which is how many more miles in the Earth. "Whoa. They're gonna bore a hole into Earth?!"

"I'm guessing that's bad," Leo says.

Donnie and I give him 'really?!' glances. "Unless you think the city needs a giant lava fountain!" I growl.

"Yep, that's bad," Leo mutters.

"Good-bye harsh winters," Raph adds.

"Lava certainly rules," Mikey says smiling.

"It definitely doesn't, Mikey," Leo growls. "We have to stop this!"

The Kraang continues talking. "To execute the plan, Kraang needs to possessing that which is known as the diamond lens to make work the drilling of the laser drill."

"What does that mean?" Raph asks, looking at Donnie.

"They need a diamond lens to make their laser drill work," Donnie answers. "Now shh!"

"Kraang is already on their way to that which is called the laboratory that is having the lens that is needed by Kraang," it says.

"What?" Raph repeats.

Donnie sighs in annoyance. "One of them is going to a lab to get it."

"But which lab?" his brother asks.

"Maybe if we listen they'll tell us!" Donnie yells, throwing up his hands. The remote in his hand pushes something and the screen of the camera goes blank. "Oh, thanks a lot, Raph. We lost the signal!"

He tries to calm himself down by typing away on his computer, pushing various keys. He hooks up the T-Phone and shows us the screen.

"Aha!" he murmurs. "I think I've found the diamond map! Now it's a bit blurry, but maybe we can follow it to the laboratory."

"We don't have much time till the Kraang drill fires!" Leo announces. "Let's go!"

We get to our assigned stations and start the Shellraiser, but suddenly we hit a bump. "Ka-thump? That's a really bad sound."

"It sounded more like a ba-dump," Mikey says.

"I heard a fwap," Raph says.

"Fwap?" Raph slaps both brothers in one arm swing.

"Fwap," he says, smirking.

We get out of the Shellraiser and surround a slimy brown shape. My eyes widen. "What is that?!"

"Ugh," Mikey groans. "Smells like a butt sandwich." Raph covers his mouth like he's about to puke.

Donnie kneels down and pokes it. "Oh...oh dear." He gasps as he pokes it with a pencil. "Would you look at that? Hideous, and beautiful." He starts to tap the pencil to his mouth, but shrieks in disgust once some of the slime comes off on his mouth.

"So what is it, Donnie?" I ask.

"It's my Spy-Roach," Donnie says.

Raph's eyes widen. "Your what? You're what?!"

"It must've been exposed to some mutagen," Donnie says, eyes widening. "You see how the nab helmet merged with its exoskeleton? We have never seen organic and inorganic matter fuse i-i-in such an amaz—"

"That's great, Donnie!" Raph calls. "We can discuss this some more when we're driving away at a thousand miles an hour!" I notice he's already by the Shellraiser.

"Come on, you big baby!" Mikey teases. "What are you worried about? We creamed it with a van! It's not like it's gonna get up and come after us."

"Um, guys!" Donnie yells. I turn and gasp. The mutant cockroach has Donnie by the legs, holding up and making him scream.

"Or maybe it would," Mikey mutters. Raph screams as the cockroach comes forward after throwing Donnie. He runs back into the Shellraiser as Mikey, Leo, Donnie and I jump on the roach, trying to hold him off.

"This thing's tough!" Leo remarks.

"Naturally, cockroaches are among the most resilient life forms on the planet!" Donnie shouts back.

"And the grossest," Mikey adds. The roach knocks him away into a trash can. "Sensitive roach!"

"Where's Raph?" I ask. I turn to see him on one of the weapon blasters.

"Eat hot manhole cover!" he screams at the roach. The weapon blaster shoots manhole covers at the roach. Soon enough, one directly hits the roach and it falls back. Raph looks at the defeated roach. It twitches. "Oh no!" He keeps shooting the manhole covers at it.

"Whoa! Whoa!" I say, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Ease up, Raph. I think you got him."

He sighs. "Okay, okay." He shoots another manhole and it hits the roach right in the junk. I cringe, knowing that'll hurt later. "What do we do with it?"

"Forget the roach!" Leo snaps. "We gotta stop the Kraang before they destroy the Earth."

With a glance at the roach, Raph nods. "Leo's right. We gotta go."

Mikey turns to him. "You just wanna get away from it!"

"Is that so wrong?!" Raph points to the roach, but it's gone. "Oh, no! It's gone! C'mon guys. We gotta move." He pushes us into the Shellraiser.

* * *

"There's the van!" Donnie announces as we come to the laboratory. The Kraang are putting a box in the van. "The must've picked up the lense."

Raph turns to Leo. "Ram that sucker!" Leo speeds the Shellraiser ino the van, tipping the Kraang's vehicle over. We get out and face the Kraang.

"Halt, Kraang!" Leo orders.

"The halting of Kraang is not a thing that the ones who are turtles will be doing to Kraang," one growls.

"Wrong!" Leo says. "The halting of Kraang is exactly the thing that the ones who—oh, just halt!"

Donnie turns to me. "Which do we save first, the world or the English language?" I giggle, which makes him blush crazily.

Raph drags the box over to us. "I got the lense!"

Suddenly, the mutant roach jumps onto the van, making Raph shriek and hide behind me. The roach cracks its neck and holds a Kraang gun. It aims and shoots.

* * *

The Kraang seem to forget about us and shoot at the roach. But it has better aim and shoots them down in a single blast each. It suddenly turns to us, ready to kill us.

"Mikey, Donnie, Annie, you take care of the roach," Leo commands. "Raph, you're coming with me. ...Raph? Raph?" I notice Raph is nowhere to be seen.

Donnie, Mikey and I run up to the roach. "Alright, roachy," Mikey growls. "Time to meet your maker."

"Wait, isn't that me?" Donnie asks, obviously scared.

"Exactly," Mikey says. He grabs the front of Donnie's plastron and throws him in front of the roach. "Go get 'em, tiger." Suddenly, the roach grabs Donnie's face and throws him aside. The Kraang come to the box and take the lense, flying away. "Oh, no! The Kraang has the lense again!" The roach smacks Mikey and me away, getting to the Shellraiser.

"Oh, no!" I hiss. In the darkness, I see Raph, hiding behind the Shellraiser.

"Why did it have to be a cockroach? Why did it have to be a cockroach?!" he mutters. Suddenly, the roach pushes the Shellraiser away and sees Raph. He shrieks. "That is a big cockroach!"

Donnie comes up behind the roach and smacks it with his staff. The roach turns on him, but Mikey sprays some insect pesticide on it. "We're not done with you yet, Spy-Roach!"

We back the roach into the road, and soon it's squealing and struggling on the road. "Yes!" Donnie shouts. "Nail 'em, Mikey!" Mikey tries to spray it again, but nothing comes out of the can.

"Uh-oh," he mutters.

The roach gets up and is about to attack, but a truck slams into it, driving it away. I smirk. "How does that grill taste, bug?!" I shout. The truck slams into a building, causing it to explode, roach and all.

"Yeah!" Donnie yells. "Woo-hoo!"

"Oh, yeah!" I shout. I turn to Raph, who's now behind me. "Now, where's the diamond?"

He looks embarrassed. "Uh..."

"Raph lost it," Leo growls. "Raph, where were you?"

"I was busy," he defends.

"Busy cowering in terror," Leo retorts. "We gotta find the drill before the Kraang cracks open Manhattan like an egg!" Him, Mikey and Donnie start to run to the Shellraiser, and I look at Raph. He sighs.

* * *

"You blew it, Raph," Leo growls. "You've gotta get your head together." I glare at the blue-masked turtle. He's been going on about this ever since we left the explosion.

"I know," Raph mutters. "This stupid phobia's gonna end up getting the whole team killed. Listen. I...I'm sorry, Leo." His brother glares at him.

Donnie hooks himself onto the screen. "Guys! Okay, here's a map of known Kraang facilities. And here's a map of the fault lines in New York City. So if the Kraang are going to drill into the Earth's crust, then this is where they do it." He points to a little glowing dot on the map.

"Alright then, guys," Leo starts. "We've got a little more time before the Kraang start drilling."

Suddenly, we hear a sawing noise. "What's that sound?" I ask.

"I don't see anything outside," Donnie says. "Uh-oh. He's back!" I know he's talking about the roach.

"Where?!" Raph shrieks in fear. "Where the heck is he? He's underneath the van! He's underneath the van!" He holds onto me for protection. Suddenly, the van stops completely. "He cut the drive shaft?!" I push him off of me.

"How does he keep finding us?!" Leo wonders out loud.

Donnie sits back, having an 'I'm thinking' look on his face. "Well, he could be using the homing signal I set up so Spy-Roach could find his way back to the van."

"There's a homing signal?!" I shriek.

"Dude, even I would've turned that off," Mikey says.

Donnie glares at him. "Excuse me, Mikey. I've been a little distracted!" He taps a few keys on his keyboard. "Maybe I can use the signal to tap into his camera to see what he's seeing!"

"None of this makes sense!" Raph says. "Why is he so mad at us?!"

"And...got it."

On the camera is the video of Raph trying to kill him. It replays over and over, making our eyes widen. "Oh, crud," Raph mutters.

"I don't think he's mad at us," Donnie says. "I think he's mad at you!"

"Wow, that stinks for someone who's afraid of roaches!" Mikey says amused.

"Irony, got it! Thanks," Raph growls. "So are there any more surprises?!" Suddenly, a saw breaks in from the bottom of the Shellraiser. "He has a saw?! The cockroach has a saw!"

I push Raph out of the way, grabbing my blade and slicing the saw off, making it ooze black ink everywhere. "Not anymore."

"Donnie, the rest of us will keep the roach busy," Leo starts.

"We will?!" Raph asks.

I grab the front of his plastron and bring him to my face. "Yes!"

"You've gotta fix the Shellraiser fast," Leo continues. "Like, yesterday fast."

We drag Raph out of the van and stand outside, him holding onto my hand like a kid. Suddenly, I hear movement from under the van. "Hey, Spy-Roach!" I yell. "Raph's out here! Come and get him!"

"Really?!" he hisses. "You're using me as bait?!"

"Yep," I mutter.

Soon, the huge roach comes out, and we run away from it, leaving him in an alley. The roach spots him and comes towards him, but Leo, Mikey and I throw a trash can over it, but he pushes us away. Raph screams and runs away, the roach hot on his tail.

Soon, Leo, Mikey and I catch up to him, where the roach stands still in a pile of wet cement. Mikey goes behind a cowering Raph in the alley.

"I'm sorry I tried to smash you, okay?!" Raph pleads. "I'm sorry! I learned a very important lesson! I'll never be cruel again! Just leave me alone!"

"On one condition," Mikey growls, smiling.

"Anything!" Raph says.

"Be good to Michelangelo!" he says in a deep voice.

"Ahh...what?!"

"Let him read your comics once in a while!" Mikey continues.

Raph looks and sees his brother. "MIKEY!" He kicks him hard in the bottom shell, making him shriek. He comes after him, and I hold him back.

"Ow!" Mikey yells. "So much for learning your lesson."

"Nice job, Raph," I praise.

He frowns. "What are you talking about? Where's the bug?" I motion over to the cockroach in cement. "Oh, stuck, huh? Not so tough now, are you roachy?" He taps his sai on the roaches head. "You're just a..." The roach's head fall off. "...Hollow shell." The rest falls into the ground. "What the...?"

"He must've molted," I say.

"They molt?" the red-masked turtle asks.

"Yeah," I say. "Roaches shed their skins when...they get...bigger." I swallow at the sight behind Raph.

Leo and Mikey see it too. "Dudette, you're not kidding." Raph turns and stares.

The roach is now a huge white bug with snakelike arms and a crying mouth. Its eyes are wild with rage. Slime falls from its body.

"A cockroach," Raph mutters. "Why did it have to be a cockroach?!" The roach grows wings and flies above us. "And it flies."

"Run!" Leo shouts.

* * *

We run for our teenage lives as the roach pursues us by flying. I don't bother using my wings to draw it away; it's after Raph.

"Start the engine!" the red-masked turtle screams as we reach the Shellraiser. "Start the engine!"

"Donnie!" Leo yells. "Did you get this thing working?!"

Donnie lifts up the mask covering his face. "We've got bigger problems. We gotta stop that drill!"

Suddenly, the roach pries open the Shellraiser doors. I grab onto the rail above the door and swing, kicking the roach in the face. "Ha! Take that!" The Shellraiser speeds away, leaving the roach in the road.

"I had my chance, and I couldn't face him," Raph mutters. "I just...couldn't do it."

"Look at the bright side," Mikey says. "In fifteen minutes, we could all melt in the fountain of lava. ...Okay, that sounded brighter in my head."

Donnie pulls up a map on the screen. "The laser drill is just past the front gate. Kraang Droids everywhere. Hope you have a good plan." He directs those last words towards Leo.

"I'm gonna ram through the gate, and we'll go from there," Leo says.

"Works for me," Donnie replies.

I turn to look at Raph, who seems defeated. I lock eyes with him and he shows me a look of sadness. My heart crunches at the sight of him. I give him a look of sympathy, but he just buries his head in his arms on the table.

"Uh-oh," Donnie says. "We've got company. Again."

We hear a banging on the Shellraiser. "What was that?!" Raph asks in fear. "Where is it?!"

Suddenly, the roof of the Shellraiser opens and reveals the roach. It reaches in and snakes its arm around mine, pulling me out of the vehicle.

"It's got Annie!" Donnie shouts.

I scream in terror as the roach lifts me higher. It follows the Shellraiser and holds me tighter. Suddenly, the Shellraiser turns around and a bike-like vehicle comes out, skidding to a stop to face the roach.

"Hey! You up there! Looking for me?!" Raph yells challenging. The roach roars at him and uses its tongue to wrap me up. I shiver in disgust as it starts flying.

The chase is on. Raph rides the cycle away from the roach, which pulls out slimy egg-like bombs. Soon, Raph uses the covering over the cycle to camouflage into the road. But he slams into a trash can, and the roach soon realizes where he is. Suddenly, Raph throws the top of a trash can with the bombs at the roach. It drops me and explodes, and I fall, gasping.

Suddenly, I land softly and open my eyes. I'm too close to the red-masked turtle's face, and we both blush. Suddenly, Raph's T-Phone starts ringing. I pick it up and put it on speaker.

"Raph!" Leo yells. "We're stuck! It's up to you! Get to the drill!"

"I'm on it!" he yells back. He speeds to the door, but the roach blocks it. "This is either gonna be really cool, or really painful." He tears the cycle up and slams into the roach, then slaming into the Kraang and skidding on the pavement. We get out. "Okay, it was both."

I look around to see a group of Kraang surrounding some girl. I take out my blade and destroy them, slicing through their bodies and making the brain things run off in fear. I take a closer look at the girl and gasp.

"Alli?!" I almost scream. "What the hell are you doing here?! Why were those Kraang around you?!" I kneel down and untie the ropes around her body.

She holds back tears. "They took me from my own apartment! Just because I'm friends with you!"

"I'm so sorry," I say, hugging her. "I should've been more careful."

She stares at the laser. "Who's that?" She points to Raph. "Is that..." I see him take off his helmet, revealing his head and red mask. "Raph..." She breathes his name as if it needs to be whispered and not said out loud.

Suddenly, I watch him attack the roach, punching it and defeating it. I turn to Alli, who stares at her crush in awe and love.

"He's perfect," she whispers.

I point to the cycle. "Get on that and wait for me and Raph. Stay out of sight. I'll be right back." I get up and run towards the laser drill. I stick my blade into the drill, but it doesn't do a thing. Suddenly, the drill is jerked upwards, and I see Raph holding the laser with his sais. I see Alli gaping at how strong he is.

"Drill this!" he screams. He aims the laser at the roach, making it explode. I nod at him and run to the cycle, both of us getting on and speeding away, knocking away Kraang and getting back into the Shellraiser.

As we get in, I have my arms around Alli. She looks scared to death, almost being killed by the Kraang. I smooth her hair down.l as she cries into my shoulder.

"Shh," I whisper. "It'll be alright. Don't worry. I'll protect you."

* * *

Back at the lair, Alli, the turtles and I chill in the living room, Mikey and I playing a video game and Alli staring in awe at one of Donnie's gadgets he made.

"Well, Raph, you faced your fear and saved the city," Leo says. "Not bad for a Wednesday."

Raph looks at us, smiling. "Faced my fear? I conquered my fear!" He grabs me by the shoulders. "I looke my fear in the eye, and I zapped it to oblivion!" He lets go of me, smirking at Alli and twirling his sai.

I smile and put my arm around his shoulders. "So, you're not afraid of cockroaches anymore, huh?"

He shakes his head. "Nope."

"Good, good," I say. "Then you won't mind the one I just slipped into your shell." His eye twitches and he runs around the room, shrieking. The turtles, Alli and I laugh at the red-masked turtle. I turn to Alli. "So, to answer your question, Raph has your fear." She smiles with love at her crush.

* * *

"Whoa!" Donnie exclaims. "That's a spacial endo partial disruper!"

"Going to have explain if that's 'oh no' or 'yay,'" Leo says.

Donnie looks at us. "In the hands of the Kraang, it's a definate 'oh no.'"

"Why?" Mikey asks. "What does it do?"

Donnie stands up. "The disruper can desynchronize subatonic residences which invert polymileculer structures causing them to implode."

Mikey stares at him, clearly confused. I decide to break it down for him. "It makes things go boom."

"Technically, it makes things go: zwhee...shoo..." Donnie pops his lips. We all stare at him, blinking. "Its important to be accurate."

We get into a battle position on the roof, ready to jump. "Okay guys," Leo starts. "Get in position. Ready..."

"Let's just do this!" Raph growls.

We jump and flip down, landing on the ground. The Kraang freeze as they see us, but they turn to the side. My mouth gaps open a little when I see Dogpound and Fishface, along with the Foot Clan.

"Kraang, and Fishface and Dogpound?!" Raph happily exclaims. "I must be dreaming. Pinch me!" Mikey reaches up and punches him. "Ow!" He pounds his brother's head.

"Ow!" Mikey yelps. "You said—"

All three groups—turtles and I, Foot Clan, and Kraang—charge into fighting. I whip out my sword and slash it across a Kraang, and then another. I whip around and kick away a Foot ninja, sending it into a Kraang. I smirk.

I see Fishface out of the corner of my eye and dodge his kick. I roll away and crouch down next to the van, blade in hand, ready to swipe. I stand up, but see a Kraang aiming the blaster at me. A red ball of power shoots out from it and comes at me.

Suddenly, something slams into me, making me dodge the blast and it hitting a car, sucking it up and making it 'pop.' I turn to see Donnie, him laying down next to me, his arm around the front of my waist. I smile. "Whoa, Donnie. You totally called it, bro." He blushes.

The Kraang can speeds away, along with the blaster. "Guys! We gotta move!" Leo says. "Raph! Now!" Raph glares at Fishface before pulling away.

"Yes, run along now, boy!" Fishface runs off into the night with Dogpound.

"This isn't over, Fishface!" Raph growls.

* * *

Splinter stands in front of me in the dojo. He attacks me with his arms, but I dodge them easily. "Very good," he praises. "Again."

I swallow. "Sensei," I start. "Not that I don't enjoy running ukes six thousand times, but when do I get a weapon? I know I have my blade, but I took it from the Shredder, and it marks the Foot Clan. I was wishing for a weapon to mark me as part of the...Hamato Clan, if you accept." I look at him hopefully.

"Ah, I understand," he says, smiling. "But Annie, you already possess the kunoichi's most powerful weapon: the mind."

"When was the last time you saw someone hit a guy over the head with their mind?" I ask truthfully.

Splinter crosses his arms thoughtfully. "True. Let's find you a weapon."

* * *

The turtles' father presents a chigiriki, a staff with a chain. He demonstrates how to use it, and looks at me. I close my gaping mouth and clap.

"Remember, Annie," he starts, handing me the weapon. "Your weapon chooses you as much as you choose it."

I nod and take the weapon. I swing it over my head, but suddenly spin. I look up to see the chain wrapped around the branch. I pull on it, but it doesn't move. "I think it chose the tree," I say, chuckling.

Next, he hands me a mace. I hide a 'Do you seriously think I can handle that?!' face and try to pick it up from the ground.

"Almost got it," I mutter. I finally lift it over my head. "Ha!" Suddenly, I fall backwards onto the floor. "Ow."

Then, I try a pair of kamas, or scythes. I swing them, trying to look dangerous at an enemy. I smile and swing them again, but one flies out of my hand. I gasp as it comes at me like a boomerang, and shut my eyes, waiting for it to come in contact with my soft flesh. Suddenly, I look up to see Splinter holding it above my head.

"Perhaps we should keep looking," he suggests.

* * *

I try to work a manriki, a two weighted chain, and spin it around. I smile to myself.

"Remember," Splinter says. "Keep your movement fluid."

I nod and swing it around, feeling proud. Suddenly, the chain soars out of my hands and knocks into a photo on the shelf, making them both fall onto the floor. I gasp and run to it, kneeling down.

"Master Splinter, I am so sorry..." My voice trails off as I pick up the photo and stare at it. A man and woman stand next to each other, a small baby in the woman's arms. I hand the photo to Splinter and stand up. "Who are they?"

"That is me," he answers sadly. "My wife, and daughter, before Shredder..."

"The baby..." I whisper. "She was beautiful."

"Yes," he agrees. "Miwa would have been about your age, now. I would like to think she would have turned out as well as you have: my child." I smile at him. "Which reminds me. Wait here." He walks into his room.

* * *

After a long time of waiting, Splinter comes out of his room, carrying something. He holds it up to me.

"I had intended to one day pass this on to my daughter," he confesses, unfolding the weapon. It's a tessen—a war fan. It has the Hamato Clan symbol on it. "But I would like you to have it."

I can't stop staring at the unique weapon. "It's beautiful!"

"Yes," he says. "And..." He throws it at the tree, making the tessen stick in it, glowing in the light.

I smile. "I think we found my weapon."


	20. Alliance with Karai

~Chapter 20~

Alliance with Karai

We stand on the roof of a warehouse, looking at TCRI. I growl to myself as I watch the motionless building. "Nothing happening at TCRI," I say.

"Yet," Donnie adds bitterly, staring at his T-Phone.

Mikey also stares at his T-Phone, but only for playing a game. "This game is awesome! The combat is so realistic!"

"Well, you want me to make it more realistic?" Raph growls.

"Guys!" Leo hisses. "Stop messing around!"

Donnie turns to me. "According to the Kraang storage device that I decrypted, some kind of scouting ship is coming through the Kraang portal tonight."

Leo turns to his red-masked and orange-masked brothers. "So we all have to stay alert."

"Yeah," a voice calls. "You never know what could sneak up on you!" I look up to see Karai. I glare at her, knowing she means bad news.

But something about her is different. I mean, we haven't seen each other since she took me to the Byerly Building for Hachiko, but she looks like she wants to cause trouble just for her own entertainment, not because of the Shredder's orders. She jumps down and stares at us, hand on blade.

Leo chuckles sarcastically. "Cute, Karai. But I'm not in the mood." She doesn't answer or listen, and comes at us, sword in hand. Leo takes out his katanas and clashes wih her. "We don't have time for this! Guys!"

We charge forward. "Booyakasha!" Mikey yells. Karai clashes her sword with Donnie's staff, jumps on his shell and flips back, too close to me.

"Booyakasha?!" she asks, laughing at us, clearly amused. "What does that even mean?!"

"I don't know," Mikey confesses. "But it's fun to yell!" He throws his kusarigama chain at her, but she catches it with her katana, and steps on it, sending Mikey towards her, resulting in her kicking him.

I run to her and slash at her, but she blocks it. "You really know how to make a girl feel welcome," she says. I pull away and stand by Donnie. She points her blade at him. "I heard the scrawny one mentioned the Kraang. What's going on?"

"None of your business," I growl.

"And I'm not scrawny!" Donnie protests. "I'm stealth!"

I dodge her attack and let Raph take over fighting. She pushes him away and rests her sword on her shoulder, smiling. "Oh, come on. Let me in on the fun."

"Look, we're a little busy trying to stop the beginning of an alien invasion here, so do us a favor and get lost!" Raph yells.

Her smile disappears. "An alien invasion?! Are you serious?!"

Suddenly, the top of TCRI glows with a pink light and a ship comes out. It looks small, but also dangerous. "This can't be good," I mutter. The ship comes closer to us.

"Um, guys, I think I need to change my shell," Mikey whispers.

* * *

"I hope you have a plan for fighting that thing," Karai says to Leo.

"Of course I do," Leo assures her. "Step One..." The ship blasts us with a pink laser. "Run!"

We run from the ship, which keeps blasting us. I decide to use my wings and fly above the turtles and Karai, smirking when Karai glares at me.

"What the heck was that?!" she gasps to Leo.

"I don't know," he says. "But off the top of my head, I'd say they use it for flying and shooting at things."

We dodge another blast and I land on a car, folding up my wings. I motion for the turtles to hide behind the car, where Karai is nowhere to be found.

"You think it knows where we are?" Mikey whispers.

"Yeah," Leo whispers back. "Maybe." Suddenly, a pink light glows over us and the car is picked up, revealing us to the ship. We scream and Donnie and I grab onto each other, blushing.

We roll out of the way when the ship throws the car down. "Man, we gotta get underground!" Donnie says.

"I'll draw their fire!" Leo says, taking out his katanas. He runs towards the ship. Mikey, Donnie and I jump down the manhole, Raph and Leo last. We watch from a grate in the sidewalk. Sirens are heard, and the ship fades into the night, invisible.

"Oh, great," Raph mutters. "'Cause it wasn't scary enough when we could see it."

* * *

At the lair, Alli watches in awe as Raph throws his sais at a dummy, directly hitting it. "He's a master..." she murmurs to herself. I roll my eyes.

"That Kraang ship is incredibly dangerous," Leo says, pacing around the living room. "We gotta find out what it's doing here."

"Or, we could just skip to the part where we destroy it," Raph says. He hits the dummy onto the ground.

Mikey picks it up. "You're pretty tough when they can't hit you back." Raph holds back his fist as a threat. Mikey shrieks.

"So what are we waiting for?" Raph asks. "Let's load up the Shellraiser and challenge that thing to a rematch!"

"First, we need to find a ship that's invisible," Leo reminds him.

Raph rolls his eyes. "I know. How about we shoot into the air until we hit it?"

"That...doesn't sound too smart," Leo confesses.

"Yeah, Raph," Mikey says. "Not too smart, buddy." Raph threatens him with his fist and he shrieks.

"Actually," Donnie says coming into the living room. "Raph's got something there."

Mikey smiles. "Yeah, Leo. Raph's got something there."

"But instead of shooting objects, we'll shoot waves of electromagnetic radiation," he says. "In other words, radar." He holds up a device. "I built some radar beacons we can set up around town. If the ship gets near us, I'll get an alarm on my T-Phone."

"Good work, Donnie," I praise. He blushes.

"C'mon, guys," Leo says. "Let's spread out and place those beacons."

Alli stands up. "Can I come?" Leo gives me an unsure glance.

"Sure," he says.

Raph knocks the dummy out of Mikey's hands, who kneels down and pats it. "You'll get 'em next time, buddy."

"Mikey!" Leo yells.

"Loosen your knee pads, Leo!"

* * *

"Whoa," Alli breathes. "I've never been up this high before!" She stares at the edge of the warehouse. "This is awesome!"

I place the tiny beacon in its position and pull out my T-Phone. "Beacon installed," I say.

"That's the last of 'em!" Donnie's voice comes through the phone. "Mikey, Raph and Leo are finished too."

"We'll see you back at the lair," I say.

Suddenly, Alli yelps. I whip around just in time for my blade to clash with Karai's. I glare and swipe my leg under her, but she jumps back, flipping. She blocks an attack with her blade.

"Really, Karai?" I ask. "Sneaking up on a kunoichi is so yesterday."

She pulls away and puts away her sword. "I wanna help you fight the Kraang," she says.

My eyes widen as I put my blade back in its holster. "Shouldn't you be talking to Leo about that?"

"I already did," she says. "But he said no."

"Then there's nothing I can do," I say. I turn to leave, but she grabs my arm.

"I have a plan," she says. "Tomorrow night, we use those beacons you set up to track the ship. We attack it surprisingly."

I shake my head. "No way. I'm not doing anything you suggest."

She frowns. "Why not?!"

"Because I still hold a grudge from when I was four!" I spit at her. "You seem to forget the pain you put me through whenever you see me, and act as if we were friends all along!"

Karai glares at me. "Fine. Whatever!" She turns and walks away, jumping onto the roofs.

I growl and turn to Alli, taking her arm. "C'mon, Alli. We gotta go."

Suddenly, a ninja star hits the ground where I stand. Alli and I gasp to see Karai, standing above us. "Last chance, Annie!" she yells.

I glare at her. "Fine!"

* * *

As I practice my punches, swipes and kicks in the dojo, the turtles talk with Splinter. I haven't told the turtles about my meeting with Karai tonight.

"I know we shouldn't trust Karai," Leo starts. "But I get the sense she really is fed up with Shredder."

"That's probably just what she wants you to think," Raph growls.

"I know, but..." Leo turns to Splinter. "Sensei, is there any chance she's for real?"

"It is possible," his father says. "Loyalties have been known to shift. But, the kunoichi is trained to use deception to her advantage."

"So she either will or won't betray us?" Leo asks.

"Correct," Splinter says. "You must trust your instincts. But, beware the trap of believing something to be true simply because you wish it to be so." He turns and starts to walk away.

"So, I should trust my instincts, unless my instincts are wrong?" Leo confirms.

Splinter stops. "Correct." He walks out of the room.

Leo sighs. "Thanks, Sensei."

"Whoa," Mikey says. "You know it's good advice when you're still confused afterwards."

"Guys, seriously?" Raph asks. "An alliance with Karai? No way! Why are we even talking about this?"

"It's too bad we can't trust her," Donnie says sadly. "It would be nice to have a kunoichi on our side."

I freeze in mid-punch. Did he just say I wasn't a kunoichi?! I am! Or, training to be one. I place my hands on my hips. "Um, hello? What about me?"

Donnie must've seen that he hurt me, because he looks sad and nervous. "No, I mean a real kunoichi. I-I mean, not that you're not a real one, just that Karai's better. I-I mean, not better, just m-more experienced. Is it hot in here?" He rubs the back of his neck.

"It's okay," I say. "I get it. She's your mortal enemy, but hey, she's purdy!" I glare at him.

"No she's not!" Donnie says. "You're way prettier. I-I mean not that I think you're pretty. I mean, you're not ugly. I just—" Suddenly, Raph clamps his hand over his brother's blabbering mouth and pulls him away.

"Don't fight it," he says. "You'll thank me later."

* * *

I meet Karai on the top of the warehouse we saw each other last night. She appears with her motorcycle. "Since you have your wings, I figured I needed my own source of transportation." I shrug.

* * *

We see the Shellraiser trapped in an alley and being shot at by the Kraang ship. Karai rides up on her motorcycle and jumps on it, while I land on it using my wings. We twirl our blades and stick them in the ship. It starts to fly away.

The ship rams into walls of buildings. "This—is—so—not—fun!" Karai yells.

"Welcome to my world!" I snap. We keep slashing our swords at the ship, and suddenly, Karai falls off. I don't bother trying to catch her, since Leo already rides the Stealth Bike and catches her.

I gasp as I lose my grip on the ship and land on the cold hard ground. I growl as Leo speeds past me on the Stealth Bike; he totally forgot about me once he saw Karai. I pick myself up and run to the nearest manhole, jumping down and following the subway tracks to the parked Shellraiser.

I open the doors from inside and I'm met with three faces. Donnie runs to me. "What happened?!"

I look at myself in the mirror. Dirt smudges on my face and my hair pokes out of my ponytail. My clothes are ripped beyond repair. I sigh. "Karai and I tried to take out the ship." Suddenly, Donnie wraps me up in a hug.

"I was so worried," he whispers. "I had no idea where you were!"

I pull away and smile. "I'm fine, Donnie."

Suddenly, the Stealth Bike door opens, revealing Leo and Karai. "We're back!"

Raph glares. "You brought her inside?! Dude! She'll see all our gear!"

Karai steps out and looks around. "Yeah, 'cause if Shredder finds out you have an ice cream lamp, it is over." She points to our ice cream lamp in the corner.

"Karai just risked her life to save us," Leo says. "She's earned a little trust. Let's hear her out."

I explode inside. Leo didn't even acknowledge that I helped Karai with the Kraang ship. It's all about Karai now. Now, I hate her even more.

"You're the boss," Raph growls. I go over and stand next to him. He locks eyes with me. We both hate Karai.

"You guys need my help," Karai states. "You really think you can shoot down an alien warship with garbage?!"

"Compressed garbage!" Donnie protests.

"And manhole covers," Mikey adds. Donnie crosses his arms and closes his beautiful eyes.

"My point is, to take out a ship like that, you need a real weapon," Karai says.

Raph raises his eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? Like what?"

Karai looks at us thoughtfully. "What if I got you a shoulder-fired missile launcher?"

"I'm starting to like her," Raph mutters.

Donnie opens one eye. "Where are you going to get a shoulder-fired missile launcher?"

"Shredder, of course," Karai says.

"Uh, we're talking about the same Shredder, right?" Mikey asks. "Big dude, lots of blades, really hates us."

"Yeah, something tells me he's not gonna wanna share his toys with us," I say, crossing my arms and leaning next to the red-masked turtle.

"He won't know about it," Karai says. "He's buying a big shipment of weapons down at the docks tomorrow night. All we need to do is sneak in and help ourselves." She smiles.

Raph looks at me. "Anyone else smell a trap?"

Mikey raises his hand. "Sorry. That was me." Donnie and I exchange 'really?!' faces.

"Why would I trap you?" the kunoichi asks us. "You're the only ones who know what the Kraang are up to."

"True, but you don't really have the best track record," Donnie points out.

Karai shoots him an annoyed glance. "Fine. I'll get you the missile launcher myself." We exchange glances.

"You're really willing to steal from Shredder?" Leo questions.

"Look," she starts. "These things have to be stopped. If Shredder's not gonna do anything about it, then I will, with your help, or without it." She gives him a stony glare.

Leo looks at Donnie and Mikey, who nod. Then, he looks at Raph and me, who avoid his eyes. He turns back to Karai.

"Alright," he says. "Here's the deal. You get us the missile launcher, and we'll team up." Karai smiles and shakes his hand.

* * *

"I can't believe we're getting a missile launcher!" Mikey breathes. "What should we blow up first?"

Raph looks at him. "Um, the Kraang ship."

"Oh, right," Mikey realizes. "What should we blow up second?"

"If Karai can pull it off," Leo reminds him, punching a dummy.

Donnie looks over to his oldest brother, smiling. "Are you worried about your girlfriend?" Him and I giggle. "I see why you guys do that now. It's kinda fun!"

Leo turns around, looking slightly pissed. "It isn't gonna be easy. Shredder's gonna be there, too."

Raph suddenly freezes. "Hey, you're right! For once we know where Shredder's gonna be ahead of time. Which means...we can set a trap for him!" I nod in approval.

"What?!" Leo asks, surprised. "Look, we made a deal with Karai. We can't just go behind her back. This is about that Kraang ship! They wanna take us out!"

"So does Shredder," I point out. "This may be our only chance to take him by surprise. Are we really gonna pass that up?"

Leo's silent for a moment. "Alright, guys. Let's take down the Shredder."

* * *

Black waters lap at the bridge in the docks. I glare and look over the edge of the tall box we're on, staring into the deep ocean. I sneak a glance over at Donnie, and what I see makes my heart stop.

In the faint afternoon sun, he stands there, muscles showing and eyes glowing. His staff stands out on the holster on his shell, blocking out some of the sun. His purple mask tails blow in the rough wind, making him look like he was a gift sent to me from the angels.

I watch as Shredder talks to a big burly man, looking as dangerous as ever. I growl at the sight of him and wonder if my mother's blood is still on the blade.

"Aim for his armor," Donnie says to Mikey. "The electro grenade will use the metal as a conductor to amplify the shock."

"How much of that did I need to understand?" Mikey asks.

"Aim for his armor," Donnie repeats.

Mikey smiles. "Got it!"

Raph turns to me and Leo. "You sure we should trust Mikey with this?"

"When it comes to water balloon launchers, he's the best in the business," Leo reminds him.

As the two older brothers hold the launcher in place, Mikey positions the grenade at Shredder. He glares at him.

"Annie?" Donnie asks, touching my arm. "You alright?"

I turn to meet his beautiful eyes. "I guess I'm okay. Don't worry. I'll be fine." I advoid eye contact and keep my gaze focused on the water. But Donnie turns me towards him.

"Annie," he starts. "Are you upset about the Shredder killing your mom?"

His words make tears fill my blue eyes. I blink them away, not wanting them to spill. I swallow a hard, dry lump in my throat and give the tiniest of nods.

He takes my hand. "No matter what happens Annie, I'll always be here for you if you need someone." I nod and smile. I turn back to Mikey.

"Booyakasha, Shred-head," Mikey growls. He releases the grenade and it flies towards Shredder.

"Look out!" Suddenly, Karai pushes the Shredder out of the way, causing the grenade to shock the Foot ninjas and the burly man.

"Are you kidding me?!" Raph screams in frustration.

"I do not understand that woman," Mikey sighs.

Karai takes the missile launcher, aims and fires it at us. The missile comes at us in a flash.

"Incoming!" Leo shouts. We jump off the box and land on the ground, the Shredder glaring at us.

I shake with fear and swallow. "Well, this day can't get much worse."

Suddenly, Donnie's T-Phone alarm goes off. "The radar! The Kraang ship is nearby!" he warns.

We ge up and I see a narrow aisle between two boxes, which lead to different paths. We run down the aisle, away from the Shredder.

"Fall back, guys!" Leo commands.

"No argument here!" Donnie shouts back.

We run faster, and suddenly, come to a dead end. "Damn it," I mutter. Suddenly, I whip around to face the murderer of my mother.

"Tell me where Splinter is and I'll let you live long enough to watch him perish," he growls.

Suddenly, the Kraang ship hovers over us, getting ready to strike.

"That thing again?" Leo asks. "Great timing!"

The ship blasts at us and we dodge the attacks. After it flies away, the Shredder is nowhere to be found. Leo gets up and shuts the door of one of the boxes, locking it. I'm guessing Shredder's in there.

"Come on!" he shouts. He runs to the right, out of our view.

The turtles and I start running, but suddenly, when I start to run past the box, a sharp blade, coated in blood, comes out, barely missing my nose. Someone yanks me back and I'm pressed against Donnie's plastron. The blade scorches through the box and the door is kicked open, revealing the Shredder. He glares at us.

"We'll catch up to you later!" Donnie yells after Leo.

* * *

I'm so scared right now it's not even funny. It takes all my strength to not run away in terror. But I stay with the turtles and keep throwing ninja stars at the Shredder.

He kicks Raph away, then Mikey, and then Donnie. I run at him and slash my sword at him, kicking him and throwing stars. But he grabs me and throws me to the turtles, resulting in me landing on Donnie. I look at my arm. It's caked with dirt and blood.

"Prepare to know why they call me the Shredder!" he growls, unsheathing the blades. We ready our weapons, ready to fight.

* * *

Soon, our battle takes outside of the boxes, where the Shredder stands over us. The ship lowers as it flies, almost hitting us. In the corner of my eye, I see Leo aiming the missile launcher at the Kraang ship. With a pull of the trigger, the missile shoots out, hitting the ship.

It comes down towards the bridge, where we stand. "Heads up, guys!" I warn. We move out of the way, the ship tumbling into the water, along with Shredder.

"Father!" Karai screams. With one last glare at Leo, she dives into the black water.

I stare into the water, where she jumped in. Will she survive? Will she be able to rescue her dark father? Is the Shredder finally dead?

Leo turns to us, and we start on our way back to the city.

* * *

As we flip onto a warehouse roof, Leo sits on the edge, looking sad and defeated. Donnie goes over to him.

"Leo," he says. "It's not that bad. You blew up the Kraang ship!"

He sighs. "But I also blew our chance to get Karai on our side."

"Look," Raph starts. "She's Shredders daughter. His blood! She was never gonna be on our side."

"Yeah, maybe you're right," Leo admits. "Maybe I was just believing what I wanted to."

Mikey sighs. "I've been there, dude. For me, it was leprechauns."

Leo ignores the 'don't tell him!' gestures Raph and Donnie give him as he talks. "Are you seriously comparing what I am going through to the time you found out that leprechauns aren't real?!" Donnie and Raph face-palm as Mikey's eyes widen.

"Leprechauns aren't real?!"

I roll my eyes and stare off into the sky. "Mom?" I whisper. "If you can hear me, please protect me and my friends from the Shredder. I have a feeling something big is going to happen, and it's not going to be good. But I can promise you one good thing, Mommy: I will avenge your death." I growl. "The Shredder will be killed. I can promise you that, Mom."


	21. Karai vs Annie

~Chapter 21~

Karai vs. Annie

I practice my ninja skills in the dojo with the turtles. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Donnie and Leo facing each other, and Raph and Mikey facing each other. My opponent is Splinter, who easily dodges my attacks. When I stop, he fixes my position, by raising my arm and turning my head, so my eyes are fixed on Raph and Mikey.

Raph taunts his brother, who looks a little nervous. "Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do?" He leaps for Mikey, but he grabs his hands and flips him.

"Booyakasha!" Mikey yells triumphantly. "You got faced! Thought you had me, but I played you like a trombone!" He turns away and starts making trombone noises.

Raph suddenly grabs him from behind. "Playtime's over, tough guy!"

"Put me down!" Mikey yells. "Enough! Uncle!"

"I don't see ya tapping out!" his brother says.

"I can't...move my...arms." The orange-masked turtle falls limp, but his brother squeezes him harder.

"Then tap your horrible, disgusting middle toe!" He does, and he drops him. The younger of the two looks at his foot.

"Don't worry, Stubby," he coos. "You're not as horrible as he says!"

Splinter goes to his youngest son. "Michelangelo, why did you give up so easily?"

"There was nothing I could do!" Mikey protests.

"There is always something you can do," his father says. "Observe." He turns to his second eldest son. "Raphael." He commands something in Japanese, and I can tell Raph is uncomfortable.

Splinter stands in front of Raph, his back turned, and Raph wraps his arms around his father and picks him up, similar to what he was doing to Mikey earlier.

"The key is to unbalance your opponent," Splinter tells him.

"But how?" Mikey asks.

"However you can," his father replies. "For example." Suddenly, he licks Raph, who recoils and pushes him away in disgust. Splinter swipes his tail under Raph, knocking him in front of me and Mikey's sitting forms.

Mikey stares in awe. "Whoa..."

Splinter chuckles. "You see? There is always a way." He wipes his mouth. "Blech." He turns to Raph. "And you need to take a bath."

As he walks away, I stare at him. I'm so lucky to be training with him.

* * *

Donnie looks out from the doors of his lab. "Hey, guys. Guess what Annie and I have been up to?" They stare at him. "That's right! Analyzing sewage!"

"Who says you don't know how to show a girl a good time?" Raph teases.

* * *

Donnie carries a container of sewage water to his desk, me at his side. "Annie and I were going through some files on the Kraang storage device. We found out that they're using a special process to change Earth's water into Kraang...water."

"They've already started the process," I continue. "We found a low concentration of Kraang chemicals in the sewage."

"And I take it that's a...bad thing?" Raph clarifies.

Donnie takes a piece of pizza. "Watch what happens when I dip this slice of Mikey's shrimp and sardine pizza into pure Kraang water." Mikey shrieks as the pizza dissolves.

"How do you sleep at night?!" he hisses.

"Presently, there's only a tiny bit in the water supply," Donnie says. "But the concentration is increasing. Which means—"

"Every slice of pizza in New York will be destroyed?!" Mikey holds his head.

I place my hand on my hip. "Along with anyone who uses water," I say.

"I don't wanna live in a world without pizza." Mikey snatches the pizza box from the container of Kraang water, causing it to fly.

Donnie's eyes widen. "Look out!"

The water splashes onto my wrist, making sure a good amount hit the flesh. I shut my eyes, waiting for the chemical to dissolve right through my skin. But the pain never comes.

"Huh?" I whisper to myself. I stare at the water. My wrist seems fine.

"Nothing happened to you!" Donnie says in amazement and relief.

"Maybe it's 'cause she's not made out of pizza," Mikey suggests.

Suddenly, Donnie's computer beeps. He turns to it. "The scanner's located the Kraang facility transforming the water supply, which is right here." He points to a glowing dot. "We gotta stop it!"

"Looks like we've got a mission!" Leo turns to me. "You coming, Annie?"

I straighten up and place my hand on Donnie's shoulder. "Sounds like a blast, but unfortunately, it's on the bottom of the East River. And equally unfortunately, I have an essay due. Plus, I wouldn't mind a little human food." I grab my bag and head for the exit of the lab.

"Pizza's human food!" Mikey says.

"Not the way you eat it!" I say, smiling.

"W-w-whoa," Donnie stutters. "Y-you're going topside?!" He climbs over his desk, but falls. "Ow!" He meets my eyes. "You got your T-Phone, right?"

"Donnie, don't worry. I'll be fine." I turn away, but take another unsure look at my wrist.

* * *

I walk along the streets, wanting to get to Murakami's noodle shop. But when I get there, there's a machine outside the door. It has so many buttons, a coin slot.

"Hm," I murmur. "This is new. What is this?"

A girl comes up behind me. "Oh. That's how you order." She inserts a coin, presses a button, and a wooden coin comes out. "They have these in Tokyo." She holds up the wooden coin. "You give this to the chef."

I smile. "Oh. Thanks." I insert a coin, press the pizza gyoza button, and take the wooden coin.

"Mind if I join you?" the girl asks.

"Sure!" I say, smiling. "Why not?"

* * *

I open the door of the noodle shop. "Hi, Murakami-san!"

"Annie-chan!" he greets. I sit on one of the stools at the table and place down the wooden coin. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," I answer.

He takes the coin and feels it. "Ah, pizza gyoza!"

"Hai," I say. I finish the rest in Japanese.

"You speak Japanese?" the girl asks, sounding surprised.

I nod. "I've picked up a few words from...my brothers." I chuckle.

"Brothers? Tell me about them," the girl says.

I look away. "Oh, you know. Just...crazy—"

"Animals?" she finishes.

My eyes widen at how close to the truth she is. "Pretty much."

Thankfully, she drops the subject. "Although, I've never heard of pizza gyoza back in Tokyo."

"That's because Murakami invented it," I tell her. "You should try one."

"That sounds great," she says. "You should try some of mine."

I chuckle. "Done!"

She hands her coin to Murakami, who feels it, but has a sorry and scared expression on his face. She turns to me. "What's your name?"

I smile. "I'm Annie."

"My name's Harmony," she says. She takes a stick and breaks it in half, for chopsticks.

"So, what brings you to New York?" I ask.

She runs the chopsticks along each other. "I'm with my dad. He's here trying to close an old deal."

"Oh," I murmur. "What does he do?"

"He's in kitchen utensils," she answers, pointing the chopstick. "Knives, mostly."

Murakami brings out a plate with three pieces of pizza gyoza, and a bowl of soup. Harmony places her hands together in a praying gesture. She murmurs something in Japanese, and I copy her, chuckling to myself afterwords.

"Alright," she says, holding the chopsticks. "Let's see what these pizza popstickers are all about." She picks one up and puts it in her mouth, chewing it and smiling. "Best dumpling ever!"

"I know, right?" I smile.

She pushes the bowl in front of me. "Now, you try mine."

I dip the spoon in the bowl. "What is it?" I gently blow on the steaming soup.

Harmony says what it is in Japanese. Then, she gives me the English version. "Turtle soup."

I gasp, the spoon barely an inch away from my lips. "Karai..."

"In person," she murmurs.

I drop the spoon in the bowl and back away to the door. I start to shake. How could I be so stupid to not recognize her?!

"Uh, I gotta go!" I turn towards the door, but she grabs the strap of my bag.

"I was thinking you'd come with me, Annie O'Neil," she says. "My father would love to see you again." She pulls on the strap, yanking me towards her. I shriek.

"Let go of me!" I choke out.

Suddenly, Murakami dumps the bowl of soup on her head, forcing her to let go. I run out of the door, running for my life.

I don't wanna die! I don't wanna go back to the Shredder! I don't want Karai to kill me! I wanna have a boyfriend, get married to him, have a daughter and die happily with Donnie at my side.

I reach into my pocket and grab my T-Phone. I push Donnie's name and hold it to my ear. It rings. And rings.

"C'mon, Donnie!" I hiss.

"_Annie, hi! It's not a great time!_" his voice comes through.

I'm on the verge of tears of fear. "Donnie! Karai's after me!"

"_What?!_" Suddenly, I hear a blast. "_Karai's after Annie! We gotta help her!_"

"_And who's gonna help us?!_" a voice shoots back. Leo. Of course he doesn't wanna help me. He's too busy staring and loving Karai.

Donnie's voice fills my left ear. "_Annie, I'm sorry, we can't get there. But don't you worry. Just stay calm,__**AND RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!**_"

I hang up and slip it into my pocket. I turn back. Karai's gaining on me. And I'm running out of breath. I turn back and see the pizza delivery guy. I smile.

"Is that pizza for O'Neil?" I ask.

He looks at the slip of paper. "No. It's for...um—" In a flash, I slap the helmet on my head on get on the motorized bike. I start it up, and speed away. "Hey! What are you doing?!"

"I'll bring it back! I promise!" I yell over my shoulder. I focus my attention on the road and ride.

I get to the nearest red light and look around. I let out a deep sigh of relief. Suddenly, I hear a motorcycle coming up and I look behind me. Karai rides on her red motorcycle, storming straight at me.

I turn back to the bike and start it up, despite the red light. I skid on the road to avoid hitting two cars. I speed down the road, but Karai rides up besides me. I gasp as she pushes me and tries to get me off guard. She tries to grab me, but I swerve to the right, almost slamming into people. I skid to a stop to avoid colliding with a wall. I speed down an alley, but as I come out of it, a truck in front of me backs up. I shut my eyes and hit different places on the bike, speeding past it.

I know I've lost Karai, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious. I keep speeding down the roads, scared she'll come out of nowhere if I stop.

Suddenly, my T-Phone rings. I pick it up. "_Annie_!" Donnie. "_What's your status?!_"

"Could be better!" I scream.

"_Okay,_" he says. "_We're on our way. We'll be there soon._" Suddenly, I hear screams in the background. "_Actually, it might be a slight delay._"

* * *

Suddenly, a ninja star sticks into the mirror of the bike. I gasp and look up. Karai, running on the rooftops, is still gaining on me. I pass dead end alleys and smile, remembering when I was being chased by Kraang Droids and ran into an alley to make them think I was weak.

I speed into an alley and snatch my helmet off, throwing my bag on the bike and leaving it there. I hide behind a dumpster with the helmet in my hand by the straps.

Karai jumps down and looks around, taking off her helmet. "Where's your blade?" she taunts. I rush forward and swing the helmet around, but she dodges my attacks. I throw it at her, but she dodges it. "You've got guts," she comments, putting her helmet down and cracking her knuckles. "Let's see if I can pound that our of you."

I glare at her and whip out my tessen, unfolding it.

"A tessen," she says. "Beautiful. Unassuming. But very powerful—in the right hands."

I ignore her comments and swipe the tessen at her, but she dodges. In a blur of movements, Karai flips me over, and my tessen is gone. I stand up and get in a fighting position. Karai smirks at me and throws the tessen aside.

I try to ignore the butterflies in my stomach. I'm skilled at fighting with any blade or weapon, but I'm not good at fighting with my hands. I've practiced once or twice with Donnie, but other than that, I'm useless.

I shut my eyes and take a deep breath. _Mom, wherever you are, please help me!_

I open my eyes and start striking punches at the kunoichi. She chuckles as she dodges. I swing a punch and, in a fast movement, spin on my heel so the heel of my right boot slices her lip. I smirk.

She falls, but gets up. She wipes bright red blood from her lip. "Good one."

"Glad you enjoyed it!" I spit.

"Now it's my turn!" She gets into a fighting position and I charge. Bad idea.

She spins and her boot connects with my stomach. I fall back, and she kicks me into the building. She punches and kicks me mercilessly, and when her boot hits my left arm, I feel one of my bones crack.

I take heavy breaths, getting up. I swing a punch, but she dodges, grabs me, lays me across her knee and karate chops my stomach. She drops me on the cold hard ground.

_Get up! _a voice shouts in my head._Get up and fight! Show her you can take it! Stay alive! For Donnie!_

That last word in the last sentence gets me moving. Clutching my left arm, I stumble up, ready to take more pain from her. She kicks me out of the alley, making me groan in pain. I start to sit up, but she lands her boot on my head.

"What makes you so special?!" she demands. She kicks hard on my head, making me gasp as my sensitive head hits the pavement. "You're the center of an alien conspiracy, protected by mutants, and trained by a great ninja master. Why?!"

While she's rambling, I manage to get up and sneak up behind her. I grab her hair and she grabs mine. "I don't know!" I scream. "I'm flunking trig! My friends are mutants! Aliens got my dad!" I manage to get her down, but she spins, pinning me down. _"And I lost my mother!"_

She freezes. "What? You lost your mother?"

I open one eye, remembering Splinter's words. _The key is to unbalance your opponent. _In a fast second, I grab her by the front of her jacket, and flip and kick her over me, sending her down the subway steps. I hear her grunt and gasp as she falls down.

I get up and smirk. "Not bad for a nobody." I get back on my bike and ride off to the lair. Soon, my T-Phone rings. It's my crush. "Hey, Donnie!"

"_Annie!_" he screams in pure delight and relief. "_You're okay. You hear that, guys? My sweet princess is alive! ...Did I mute that?_"

I blush. "Let's agree that you did."

"_You got it,_" he says.

* * *

"And when her guard was down, I flipped her down the subway steps and bolted!" I meet the turtles surprised and happy expressions.

"That was awesome!" Donnie cries.

"You rock!" Mikey says.

"Kicked butt!" Raph agrees.

Splinter nods. "Impressive, Annie. You used your training well. And you fulfilled the most important goal of the ninja: to come home alive."

I bow. "Thank you, Sensei. Looks like I can take care of myself after all!"

"Yes...and no," he says.

I frown. "Huh?"

"Karai may have failed this time, but if Shredder wants you, he will stop at nothing to find you," he explains. "And with the Kraang after you as well, the wisest decision is for you to remain here, in the sewer, with us."

If it weren't for a great cause, I'd love to stay down here. But I already convinced myself it wouldn't be possible. "What?!" My eyes widen.

"Oh, that's great!" Donnie says. I give him a soft glare. "I mean, oh that's horrible! That, you know, your life as you know it is...is over, and um...I'll shut up now."

"I can't stay down here!" I protest. "I mean, what about school? My friends?! April?! Everything!" I sit down on the floor, and sigh, burying my face in my knees.

"Annie," Leo speaks up. "Master Splinter's right." I look at the blue-masked turtle. "Until we stop Shredder and the Kraang, this is the only place you're safe."

I'm silent. "So, once we stop them, I can have my life back?"

"Yes," he answers.

I stare at my friends, sensei, and Hachiko before glaring. "Let's get started."


	22. The Pulverizer Returns

~Chapter 22~

The Pulverizer Returns

Furious, I punch the dummy in the living room, growling to myself. I kick the dummy multiple times, pretending it's Karai. Thanks to her, I'm stuck living down in the sewers, with no one to talk to except Donnie and his brothers.

Hachiko opens his eyes and looks at me. He must feel surprised; his owner never punches the dummy. Well, unless she's really pissed at something.

Suddenly, I punch it too hard and pain explodes in my right hand. I yelp and recoil, holding my hand. I wince as I stare at the red spot on my hand, whimpering slightly.

Hachiko yips and rushes forward, sinking his teeth into the dummy. He tears off the arm and shakes his head, spraying fluff everywhere.

I smile at his protectiveness over me. I lean down and scratch his head with my uninjured hand. "Thanks, buddy." He nuzzles into my hand and licks it lovingly.

* * *

Once the turtles get back from their patrol, I avoid eye contact with them. I don't wanna hear about their nightly explores while I'm not apart of them.

But when they come out of the dojo after talking to Splinter, they're holding each other's weapons: Mikey has the katanas, Leo has the staff, Donnie has the sais, and Raph has the nun-chucks. I smile as they try to get used to their new weapons in the living room.

Mikey and I use our blades to slice up the pizza April brought us and eat it. I smile.

"It's nice having a blade, isn't it?" I ask. Chewing, Mikey nods eagerly.

I look over to Donnie, who stares at the pair of sais. I giggle at his confused look. He looks so adorable right now!

Suddenly, Donnie's T-Phone rings. He picks it up, looking at it. "Uh-oh. Text message from you-know-who."

Leo and Raph stare at Donnie, while Mikey and I stare at each other. "Uh..."

"Text message from everybody but Mikey and Annie knows who," Donnie says. Mikey gives him a thumbs up. Donnie comes to us an we gather around him, me sipping from a soda. "The Pulverizer is telling us where the Foot are gonna strike back."

My eyes widen and I turn away, spitting out my soda. The Pulverizer?! That idiot?! He's telling us where the Foot are gonna strike?! How would he know anything about the Foot Clan?!

"What do you know? He's actually useful," Raph says, spinning the nun-chuck.

"Yeah, but he can't stay in the Foot!" Donnie protests. "They'll toast him!"

"Inside information, Donnie? It's worth the risk." His brother stares at him.

"But we're not the ones taking the risk," Donnie says. "The Pulverizer is!"

"I know," Raph says, smiling. "It's the perfect plan."

Leo sighs. "Alright. We'll follow up on his lead, and then bust the poor guy out of the Foot."

"Excuse me!" Mikey yells, waving the katanas around. "I'm the sword guy! I make the decisions here! ...Uh, what Leo said."

The turtles head out, and it hurts me to see them leave.

* * *

A few hours pass and I'm laying on my bed in the spare room in the lair, next to Donnie's room. I flip through a magazine, trying to lose my craving for the surface world.

Hachiko paws at the door and barks. He whimpers as he tries to open the door by the knob. I kneel down and rub his head.

"I know, I know," I whisper. "You belong out on the surface, not cooped up in a secret lair in the sewers."

I sigh as I try to piece together the Pulverizer puzzle. Okay, Donnie said the Pulverizer was telling them where the Foot Clan were going to strike. And he said that he can't 'stay in the Foot.' So, I'm guessing, somehow, the Pulverizer is in the Foot Clan. How?! He wouldn't last a day in there. But at least he's useful in spying on them.

From the living room, I hear the turtles' voices. They must be back from meeting with the Pulverizer. It sounds wrong, since that idiot bothered me and Donnie a while ago, but I wanna see him again. Maybe it's because now he has to do with the Shredder.

After a while, I go out into the living room. Everyone seems to be relaxed, but Donnie's pacing around scares me. He looks nervous and unsure, along with worried.

Suddenly, his T-Phone rings. He picks it up and stares at it. "Oh. It's our 'spy.'" He puts it on speaker.

"This is Special Agent Delta-Niner calling from behind enemy lines!" the Pulverizer's voice comes through.

Donnie rolls his eyes. "Spit it out, Timothy." My eyes widen. His real name's Timothy?! Well, it suits him.

"Okay," Timothy starts. "The mutation experiment is going down on Broom Street in the Bowery. They're on their way there now. And that's not all. Are you ready for this? Are you ready?"

"Yes!" we all groan.

"Shredder's gonna mutate just one Foot soldier first as a test," he says. "And guess what? I volunteered!"

I gasp. "What?!"

"I know!" he says happily. "Isn't that cool?"

"No!" Donnie shouts. "Why would you think that's cool?!"

While they're still talking, I sneak away into the Shellraiser and hide in the far corner. The Pulverizer may be an idiot, but I'm not gonna let him get hurt because of Shredder.

Soon, the turtles pile into the Shellraiser and speed off. After a while, we see the Foot Clan, driving on motorcycles. "The Foot!" I hiss.

On the camera, I see Fishface driving up to us. "Eat hot trash, Fish Boy!" Raph growls. He shoots the trash cannon at the mutant, but he jumps on the roof. "Uh-oh."

"He's on the roof!" Donnie yells.

"I got this." Raph reaches up and opens the roof door, but suddenly comes back down, head in shell. Mikey shrieks. "Alright," the red-masked turtle growls. "Plan B." he swings the cannon and knocks Fishface off. "Whatcha gonna do now?" Suddenly, the Shellraiser skids on the road and tumbles over. "Why do I ask these questions? Why?!"

Suddenly, the roof door opens and I squeeze out, looking for the enemy. A hard weapon smacks on my head, and I black out.

* * *

A hard metal kick wakes me, and I gasp at the pain. The first things I see are Dogpound, Fishface and Timothy. I'm tied up to a crate, watching the enemies.

"Get the volunteer directly under the mutagen," Dogpound orders. Fishface drags Timothy over to the huge mutagen machine.

I growl and try to stop this. I reach to my belt and sneak my blade out. I use it to cut the rope that binds my hands to the crate, but keep my hands there, to make it look like I'm still tied up.

Timothy stares at the machine in awe. "Whoa! Yeah, let's get this show on the road!" He points to Fishface. "Oh, those legs are cool, man! Is that part of the mutation or is it just like—" Fishface hisses. Timothy looks into his mouth. "Whoa. I can't wait to be mutanted!"

I slam my head into the crate. "Don't you mean mutated?!"

His attention turns to me. "Whoa! Annie! Didn't know you were here, too!"

Fishface turns on me, hissing. "Shut up, bird!" I hiss at him.

* * *

**Donnie's POV **

The Stealth Bike speeds as fast as it can towards the warehouse. I glare as I drive.

The Foot Clan got away with Timothy, and Fishface took Annie! I can't let them hand her over to the Shredder! She's just too precious.

_Don't worry, Annie. I'm coming._

* * *

**Annie's POV **

Timothy turns back to the machine. "In a world, were evil runs rampant, one man had the courage to sacrifice his humanity—"

"Move!" Fishface pushes him under the machine.

Suddenly, the Stealth Bike smashes into the window and Donnie jumps out, grabbing Timothy and landing next to me.

"Get them!" Dogpound yells. The Foot Clan surges forward.

Donnie reaches for his staff, but it's gone. "Huh? Oh sewer apples!" He looks to the right and grabs a broom, and spins, smacking and fighting away Foot soldiers. I grab my blade and help him.

"Now's my chance!" Timothy yells. He runs towards the machine and starts to pull the lever.

"Timothy!" Donnie hisses, pulling him back. "What are you doing?!"

"I'm gonna be a mutant, like you!" he says excitedly.

Donnie stares at him. "Um, doing the mutation is notoriously unpredictable, AND REALLY STUPID!" Suddenly, Dogpound grabs Donnie.

"I'll save you, Donatello!" Timothy yells, running towards the mutagen.

"Wait!" Donnie shouts. "Didn't you hear what I—no!" As he fights the huge dog mutant, I rush towards the teen.

"We're saving you!" I yell. But Fishface kicks me away and I fly into the air, grabbing a chain from the roof and swing around. I kick the fish in the face and jump down to Timothy and Donnie.

"Okay," Donnie starts. "Now we're getting out of here." The Foot ninjas surround us. "Hopefully."

Suddenly, the other turtles burst through the window, reaching for their weapons. But they're gone, too.

"Oh, yeah," Leo mutters. "No weapons. Spread out, guys! Remember: anything can be a weapon!" The turtles spread out and I continue to fight the Foot.

Suddenly, I hear Timothy scream. "My mutation!" I whip around to see mutagen pour onto his head. "Ow! It burns! I didn't think it'd burn so bad! It really burns!"

I tune out the turtles' voices and we climb onto the crates for protection. "Timothy is jacked up!" I state.

Suddenly, Timothy falls into more mutagen, making him turn into some kind of blobby slime monster. It goes on a rampage, spraying acid everywhere.

"Don't let 'em escape," Dogpound growls. "I'm gonna blow this place sky high." He place a bomb on the door.

"Uh-oh," Donnie murmurs. "The entire warehouse is rigged with blastive explosives!"

We try to run to the door but it's locked. "We're trapped!" Leo yells. "We gotta get out of here!"

Donnie looks uncertain. "But...what about him?!" He points to Timothy. The blob comes at us, and the turtles throw their weapon substitutes at him. They stick in him, and fall out, acidy and burnt.

"He just ate our weapons!" Mikey screams.

"And it looks like we're next!" Donnie realizes.

We scream at the blob to try to remember us. I put my hand on my forehead. "Hey!" I scream. "Timothy! Timothy!" He stops and stares at me, eyes dull and remembering. "That's right, Timothy. It's us. The turtles and bird-kid."

He turns and looks at his reflection in the window. He gasps and roars, trying to smack us away.

"We still gotta get outta here!" Leo reminds us.

"Not without...Timothy," Donnie whispers.

"And how do you suppose we get that blob outta here?!" Mikey yells.

Donnie's silent. "I got an idea. Raph, get the Stealth Cycle. Annie, get Timothy's attention." He runs to the machine.

"It better take less than ten seconds!" Leo hisses.

I wave my arms around. "Hey! Timothy! Over here!" He follows me as I back away, towards the machine.

"Annie!" Donnie yells. "Get him over here! Leo, get ready to jump." I lead Timothy over to the machine, but trip and fall on my butt. I shake at the towering mutant. "Now!" Suddenly, Donnie slams into me, knocking me out of the way and the mutagen container on the blob, trapping it. "Raph! Now!" Raph drives the bike into the container, making it fly. Donnie covers the top with a trash can top and we pile onto the Stealth Bike, riding out of the exploding building.

* * *

"Do you think Timothy is happy with his new state of being?" Splinter asks us.

"Seems that way," Leo answers. "He wanted to be a mutant. And he got his wish."

"Donnie, we're letting you keep him," Raph tells him. "But you gotta stash him in your lab so I don't have to look at him."

Donnie places his hand on the glass. "I promise, Timothy. One day, I'll turn you back." The mutant just stares and blinks.

* * *

**No One's POV**

"Our mutagen supply was lost in the explosion," Dogpound says, kneeling in front of Shredder.

The Shredder growls to himself. The turtles have destroyed most of the Foot Clan, turned his top henchmen into mutants, and are now protecting Annie, the girl needed for him to lure out the turtles and the Kraang for taking over the world.

Annie. The girl is the center of everything at the moment. And he needs her to draw out the turtles from hiding. Not to mention she'd escaped from him when she was just five years old.

"They have dismantled my army and thwarted my plans!" he shouts.

The Kraang speaks. "Kraang is in that which is agreement. The ones known as the turtles must become the turtles that are...destroyed."

The Shredder looks at the robot. "It seems we have a common enemy."


	23. Parasitica

~Chapter 23~

Parasitica

I lay on the couch in the living room in the lair, reading a magazine. A few weeks have passed since I last went up to the surface, and I'm going completely crazy! I can't get over the fact I can't go up to the surface! All because of the Shredder and the Kraang.

Suddenly, my stomach starts to growl. I get up and go to the kitchen, looking into the fridge. Eggs, pizza, other snacks. I roll my eyes. I'm getting pretty sick of pizza. I wish I had some pizza gyoza or some soup.

I hear the Shellraiser being parked outside the lair. I run out to see Leo, carrying some kind of yellow egg. My eyes widen. It looks like a wasp egg.

Raph appears in the Shellraiser doors. "I got a really bad feeling about keeping that thing in the lair."

"Raphael," Leo says. "Think of all we could learn from it." I raise my eyebrow. None of the brothers call each other by their full names.

Raph comes closer. "You know what's inside wasp eggs, right? Here's a hint: wasps!"

"That's not a hint, dude!" Mikey says. "You gave it away!"

As Leo comes closer to me, I stop him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! You're bringing a wasp egg into the lair?! What if it hatches and eats us and Hachiko?!"

"It'll be fine, Ann Elizabeth," Leo says. I frown.

"No one calls me Ann Elizabeth," I growl as he walks away. "Something's wrong, and I'm gonna find out what it is."

* * *

We're in Donnie's lab, Mikey, Raph and I in the back near the door and Donnie and Leo next to the egg.

Donnie hovers over the egg. "Fascinating!" He raises a small scalpel.

"Stop!" Leo cries. "What are you doing?!"

"Dissecting it," his brother replies.

"Absolutely not!" Leo hisses. "This is the only egg we have. We need to learn how it develops!"

I roll my eyes. "It hatches and stings other victims!"

"...Well then," Donnie starts. "I guess I'll just keep staring at it."

"Good idea." Leo points to us. "From over there." Donnie moves back from the egg no even halfway. Leo gives him a death glare and Donnie moves next to me.

Donnie speaks once Leo's back is turned. "Well then, I guess I'll go do...something in the other room. Raph, Mikey, Annie? Care to join me?"

"Not unless you get more specific," Mikey says.

Donnie grabs his mask tails and drags him out. "C'mon!"

* * *

We gather around the kitchen table. "Okay, Leo's acting totally weird, right?"

"Yeah!" Raph agrees. "It's like he's obsessed with that egg!"

"Let's ask Splinter what to do," Mikey suggests.

I shake my head. "No dice, guys. Looks like he took Alli out for a training exercise."

"Okay, look," Raph starts. "We gotta destroy that egg before it hatches."

"Agreed," Donnie says. "But he won't let us get anywhere near it."

"Well, maybe we make him come to us," Mikey says.

My eyes widen. "That's probably one of the most smartest ideas you've ever had."

* * *

"Who wants pizza?" Mikey yells, opening the box. "Leo's favorite! Jellybean, anchovy and jalapeño!"

Donnie takes a slice. "Isn't that your favorite?"

"Just go with it," Mikey whispers. We open the doors of the lab and eat the slices. But Leo doesn't even move.

Next, we try Space Heroes. It takes all of my self control to not punch the TV at how stupid it is. "Oh boy!" Raph yells. "That not-at-all stupid Space Heroes show is on!"

Donnie and I look into the lab. "Oh, you're missing a great one, Leo!" But he doesn't move.

Then, we try his comic book. Mikey takes the book and walks into the lab.

"Hey, Mikey, what are you doing with Leo's signed Space Heroes Issue One that he keeps wrapped in plastic?" I ask like an idiot. But it's part of the plan.

"Well," he says. "We're out of toilet paper, and I thought the pages from this rare and valuable comic book would do the job nicely." He starts rubbing the comic book along the bottom of his shell. "Oh, yeah. That feels great! Hope Leo doesn't see me!"

Leo doesn't move.

"Whoa," I whisper. "He's farther gone than I thought."

Raph glares. "Alright. That tears it. I'm destroying the egg tonight. Myself!"

* * *

When morning comes, we all meet in the living room. But Raph is nowhere. "Um, where's Raph?" I ask.

"He said he was going for the egg last night!" Mikey reminds me. We look into Donnie's lab, where Leo and Raph stare at the egg protectively.

Donnie gulps. "Oh, boy." The infected turtles take out their weapons. "Um, Raph? Whatcha up to there, bro?"

"Something's definitely wrong," Mikey whispers to us. "He's gone all Leo, who's not Leo, on us!"

I gasp. "Look at his arm." The brothers turn on us. "He got bit! Leo must've bit him!"

"Bros," Mikey says. "Snap out of it, dudes!"

The blue-masked and red-masked turtles charge at us. Donnie, Mikey and I run out, shutting the doors and tying them together with Mikey's kusarigama chain. Suddenly, Donnie turns to me. "Annie! The garage door!"

"I'm on it!" I run and get to the garage door, jumping up and pulling. It won't budge. "Oh, no! C'mon! Not now! C'mon!" The infected turtles turn to me and open their mouths, yellow goo bathing their teeth. I use all my strength and pull down the door, just in time to separate me from the brothers.

* * *

Donnie types quickly on his laptop. "Here it is! The parasitic wasp infects other animals with a virus which brainwashes them into protecting its eggs."

"You think that's the kind of wasp that stung Leo?" Mikey asks. We cringe as we hear the brothers roar and growl.

"A mutant version," Donnie says. "Then Leo bit Raph and passed the virus to him."

"So, once the egg hatches, will the guys go back to normal?" I ask him.

"Not quite," Donnie whispers. "Look what happens to the caterpillar guarding the egg." The pics show the caterpillar being devoured once the egg hatches.

"It's eating him!" Mikey realizes. "It's eating him! Ahh!"

"What are we gonna do?!" I hiss nervously.

Donnie thinks for a minute. "Well, I might be able to create some kind of antibody. But first, I'll need a sample of the virus from the egg." Suddenly, we hear a bang and shriek. Donnie swipes the laptop off the table and him, Mikey, and I grab onto each other. I realize my body is pressed against Donnie's and my arms are wrapped around his neck and his are around my waist. We lock eyes and blush. Mikey lets go of us and turns to the kitchen doors, or curtains. Eyes black and hungry, Leo and Raph emerge. "Oh, no!"

"Ah!" Mikey shrieks. "Stay away! Stay away!" We run out of the kitchen.

"Run away!" I scream.

We run into the living room and Donnie's attacked by Leo. "We have to get to the egg!" he shouts. "It could be the only cure!"

Soon, the infected turtles are either driven of or tied up, Raph gone and Leo tied up with the chain. "Raph?" I yell. But he's nowhere to be found.

Donnie looks into the lab. "Holy mackerel! He took the egg! He's out there somewhere, waiting."

"You mean he could be there? Or there?! Or even—" I slap the orange-masked turtle. "Ow!"

"Calm down, man!" Donnie hisses. "We'll barricade ourselves in my lab."

"But what about Leo?" I ask. We take the tied up turtle and drag him to the lab.

* * *

The boys and I try to nail the doors of the lab shut, with Leo still tied up. I avoid Donnie's gaze; he looks so hot, hammering nails into the door and holding more nails with his mouth.

"Donatello?" a voice says. "Michelangelo? Ann Elizabeth?" We turn to see Leo staring at us. "What happened?"

"Leo!" Mikey says, relieved. "You went all crazy, dude. So did Raph. He ran off with the egg."

Leo sighs. "Don't worry. I'm better now. You can untie me, Mikey. Untie me. So we can go find Raph together." Mikey starts to move forward.

"No!" Donnie holds him back. "Don't do it, Mikey. Look at his eyes." I notice Leo's eyes are still black.

Leo suddenly lunges, but the chain holds him back. "It's useless to resist! It's only a matter of time before the egg bursts, and the hatchlings will feed on us all!"

Suddenly, as he gets too close to my Donnie Boy, I slap the blue-masked turtle. He falls onto the floor. Donnie stares at me, eyes wide. Then, he kneels down to Leo.

"Sorry to burst your possessed bubble, Leo," he says. He twirls a syringe in his hand. "We may not have the egg, but a sample of your blood should help me create a cure.

Suddenly, I gasp. "Bite! You've been bitten! You've been bitten!"

"Huh?" Donnie looks at his neck, where a deep purple mark melts into his pale emerald flesh. "I must've been bitten during the fight. Now...I'm infected too."

* * *

When I walk into the secret entrance of the lab, all I see is an unconscious Mikey and Donnie. Mikey's arm has the same purple mark.

I run to him, placing my hands on him. "Oh my God! Mikey!" But he doesn't move.

Suddenly, I feel someone behind me. I whip around and swipe out my blade, only to be met with Donnie's staff. I gasp as I realize his eyes are black.

"Donnie!" I yell. "It's me! Annie!"

But he just tackles me to the floor, both of us rolling and tumbling. He pins me down, lips hovering over mine. Drops of slime fall from his mouth and bathe my lips.

I glare. "Alright, Donnie. You leave me no choice." I knee him right in the junk and he rolls off in pain. I get up, but he pulls me down, sinking his teeth into my neck. I gasp and grab my blade, knocking him out my smacking the handle on his head. He lets go and I start to shake once I stand up.

I fall on the floor, unconscious.

* * *

When I open my eyes, Mikey stands over me, syringe in hand. I yawn, staring at him.

"What is that?" I ask.

"The antibody," he says proudly. "I saved your life, dudette!"

* * *

"You finished the antibody yourself?" Donnie asks, not believing it.

"And you were just pretending to be one of us?!" Leo asks.

"Yep!" Mikey answers, smiling.

"But...that's smart," Raph says.

"Yeah, it is!" Mikey says, eyes glowing. "Just call me Dr. Einstein—enstein." Suddenly, the brothers yawn and groan. "Oh. I forgot to mention: it may cause drowsiness." The older brothers sink to the floor, sleeping.

Suddenly, the egg cracks and bursts open, revealing four wasps.

"Huh?!" I hiss. "Four?!"

"Guys!" Mikey tries to wake his brothers up. "Get up! Get up! Get up! Get up!"

Three start to land on Leo, Raph and Donnie, while the fourth seems to supervise. Mikey and I whack them away with our skateboards.

"No!" I scream. I smack the one who's on Donnie. "Get away from him!"

Suddenly, the wasps target us as their enemies and charge at us. Mikey and I run into the Shellraiser, Mikey jumping into the driver's seat, trying to get it going.

Suddenly, the wasps stop attacking the Shellraiser. I look out the crack of the doors of the Shellraiser and see the four wasps fighting the turtles. I see one sneak up behind Donnie, ready to sting him.

"No!" I shout. I throw my blade at it, making it jab into the wasp's side. It falls to the ground and I jump out, retrieving my blade and fighting the wasp.

Soon, all four wasps have the three turtles and me surrounded. "Looks like we're gonna be wasp food after all," Leo says.

Suddenly, one wasp is hit with a cannon and explodes, sending yellow goo over Donnie and me. Three more cannons fire and explode the rest, showering all of us with the slime. The Shellraiser doors open to reveal Mikey.

"Saved your lives again, dudes!" he cheers. "I am on a role today!"

* * *

When we're cleaning up the slime and fixing the Shellraiser, Raph speaks up. "I can't believe Mikey actually came through."

"I can't believe he fired the Shellraiser cannon inside the lair!" Leo says.

"I told you you should let me shoot it more often!" He gulps down the rest of his pizza slice and burps. "Pizza me."

Donnie looks at him. "No. I'm not gonna pizza you." He returns to fixing the Shellraiser.

"I guess you're right," he says. "It's not like I did something totally brave and saved your lives."

"You did save our lives," Leo agrees. "But you also use my favorite comic book as toilet paper!"

Mikey inches away. "Yeah, but I only did that so you'd chase me."

"Well, it worked!" Leo goes after Mikey.

Donnie and I exchange glances and shake our heads, Mikey screaming.

"I'm a hero!"


	24. Reunion withDad!

~Chapter 24~

Reunion with...Dad!

Leo, Mikey and I watch Raph and Donnie getting ready to spar. They circle around, Splinter watching them.

Raph smirks. "Don't worry, Donnie. I'm in a good mood today. I'll go easy on you."

"Don't do me any favors, Raph." Donnie steals a glance from me and I give him and encouraging smile. "In fact, maybe...you'll be the one...who gets gone easy on...by me. So...yeah." He twirls his staff and looks ready for a fight.

Mikey leans over to Leo. "Worst smack-talk ever!"

Splinter gives the command to go. "_Hajime_!"

Raph and Donnie start to fight, Donnie blocking attacks with his staff. Rapidly, he strikes the staff between his brother's legs and smacks him, causing him to fall.

Donnie stares in amazement. "Hey! I got him! Annie, did you see?" I nod and smile.

Suddenly, Raph gets up, catching Donnie by surprise. He grabs onto Donnie's arm, and pins it behind his back, controlling his other arm with his sai.

"Say hi to Mikey," he says. "Hi, Mikey!" He says the last part with a squeaky voice.

I frown. I don't like this. Donnie blushes when his eyes meet mine, but I don't look back. I look down.

Mikey laughs. "Donnie! Ha ha! Amazing! I didn't even see his lips move! He's like a puppet who can throw his voice to...himself. Wait..."

"_Yame_!" Splinter yells. "Raphael, that is enough."

Raph throws Donnie, who lands on his shell. His brother then sits on him. "Thanks for going easy on me." He pays his purple-masked brother.

* * *

As we all go into the living room, I sit on the couch with my laptop. I'm far away, but not too far to hear Donnie and Raph's conversation.

"What the heck was that?!" Donnie demands.

"What?" Raph asks innocently. "Just havin' fun. You know how much Mikey loves the Donnie Puppet."

"Dude!" Donnie protests. "Annie was watching!"

"I'm pretty sure she liked it...too." Raph's voice trails off. "Wait—you still think you have a shot with her?!"

Donnie stammers. "Well, I mean...I—"

"Wow," Raph says, amused. "That is so adorable! And sad. It's...sadorable. If you wanna impress Annie, better leave me out of it."

I sigh. I think that was a little too harsh for poor Donnie. I shrug and click on my email, or . But when I do, a strange collection of robotic sounds start playing. My eyes widen.

"Not bad!" Mikey calls. "Needs more drums!"

Suddenly, the message stops playing.

"What was that?" Leo asks me.

I shrug. "I don't know. Some random email I got. It just started playing by itself."

"Sounds like some kind of telemetric sign wave subcarrier," Donnie says.

The turtles and I stare at him. "Um, dumb that down a notch," Leo says.

"It's a interference modulation used to encrypt covert transmi—" He's cut off by Mikey's finger on his mouth.

"Not enough notches," Mikey says.

Donnie pushes his hand away. "A secret message!"

I look at the screen. "Who'd be sending me a secret message?"

* * *

When I wake up in the living room, all but one turtle is there. I yawn and look around. Leo gets up from the floor and yawns. He looks around, too.

"Anyone seen Donnie?" he asks. The other turtles start to stir awake.

"Not since yesterday," Mikey says. "Wait! Do dreams count? 'Cause last night, I dreamt Donnie and me were rodeo detectives, and-"

"Can it, Mikey," Leo growls. "I'm serious."

"Okay," Mikey says. "But you'll never find out who stole the buckaroo diamond!"

Raph gives Spike a piece of popcorn. "You through?"

"Yeah..." Mikey smiles. "It was the clown!"

"Donnie?!" I call. I get up and look in the kitchen, dojo and his room. But he's nowhere. "Donnie," I whisper. "Where are you?!"

His lab! I face-palm. How could I be so stupid?! I run towards the lab, but stop when I hear a familiar voice.

**_Annie? It's Dad. I pray you get this message. I've been moved to a secret Kraang facility._**

I look in the room. "Dad?!"

* * *

In the dojo, Splinter walks around me. "Annie, today I will train your mind. Close your eyes. Listen to the silence." I close my eyes, but reopen them and look up. Faint sunlight pours into the dojo and shines down on me. "I know what you are thinking, Annie. But it is best to remain here."

I look at him, hoping he'll understand. "Sensei, that message was from my father. I should be up there!"

"The best way to be reunited with your father is to wait here," he says calmly. "Now again. Close your eyes and listen for my movement. Listen for the silence."

I shut my eyes. "How can I listen for the—" I open my eyes to see Splinter gone. "...silence?"

"You weren't listening," he says from behind me. "Listen deeply. Again."

I sigh. "Okay. Listen deeply." A wave of air rushes through my ear, like a voice calling my name.

_Annie, _it whispers. _Come, Annie._

I smile, eyes still closed. "Well, I heard ya that time."

"Heard what?" Splinter asks. I open my eyes. "I did not move."

I frown. "Then...then what's that sound? You hear that, right? It's coming from...down there!" I point to the exit. "Let's follow it!" I start to walk towards the noise, Splinter behind me.

Once we get into the living room, Splinter speaks. "I hear nothing."

"Really?" I ask, surprised. He's a rat. He has a great sense of hearing. I go off and try to find the noise.

When I'm in the sewer tunnels, I realize I have a follower. I reach down and scratch Hachiko on his orange head. I close my eyes and listen.

_Come, Annie._

* * *

I trail down the sewer tunnels for about an hour, jumping the obstacles and jumping down the pipes towards the sound.

When Hachiko and I get to paths that lead down to more tunnels, I close my blue eyes.

"Listen for the silence," I murmur. Hachiko paws at my leg. "Listen deeply." The sound. From the second tunnel on the right. I open my eyes and smirk. "That way!" Hachiko and I follow it.

Suddenly, as I keep running straight, the sound seems like it comes from the left. I turn left and see a small ditch in the tunnel. The sound source is from the pile of garbage. I smile to myself and jump down, Hachiko at my heels. I run to the garbage and start digging, Hachiko running his little paws along the garbage to help me.

I see it. A crystal white ball, showing my reflection. I pick it up. It's not that heavy, but it could do some damage if it fell on me. It vibrates, sending a rippling feeling throughout my body.

Suddenly, I hear Kraang talking. I look at the corner of my eye to see two of them. I hide behind a large pipe, Hachiko laying next to me.

"The Kraang communication device Kraang searches for is activated in this facility," one says.

The other one speaks after a while. "Kraang is that which they call idiotic."

I sigh heavily with relief, knowing they're gone. Even Hachiko seems to sigh.

* * *

Back at the lair, I sit on the couch, examining the device. I see Splinter come up next to me.

"Hm," he starts. "Interesting. But I am curious how you hear the sound, but I do not."

I shrug, looking at the device. "Maybe it's why the Kraang are after me."

"Annie?"

My eyes widen. I know that voice. I look up and place the device down. Five figures walk into the lair: Leo, Raph, Mikey, Donnie and Dad.

"Dad?" I run to him, tears brimming my eyes. "Dad!" I hug him tightly. "Oh, Dad! I can't believe it!" I wipe away a tear and turn to the turtles. "You guys save my dad. Thank you so much."

"The guy you really should be thanking is Donnie." Raph puts an arm around his brother.

"Well..." Donnie blushes as my eyes are fixed on him.

"Seriously! You should've seen him!" Raph adds. "He was..." He starts fighting the air, demonstrating. Donnie puts a hand on his shoulder.

"Raph, I think that's a little—" He's cut off by Raph rubbing his head.

"We kept saying: 'Careful, Donnie! It's too dangerous!' And Donnie was like: 'Danger! Ha! Nothing will stop me!"

Donnie slaps a hand over Raph's mouth. "Thank you! Thank you, Raphael." He looks at me and scratches the back of his neck. "Those weren my exact words.."

I run to him and wrap my arms around him, burying my face in his plastron. I let go and stare into his beautiful reddish-brown eyes. "Thank you, Donnie!" Suddenly, I reach up and kiss his cheek lovingly.

He chuckles nervously and falls back. I lead Dad out of the room and into the dojo.

"It's good to have you back," I whisper.

Dad places his hands on my shoulders. "It's good to be back." He wraps me up in another hug.

Now, I almost forget about the Kraang and Shredder after me. I have my dad with me, and that's all that matters.


	25. Showdown—Part 1

~Chapter 25~

Showdown—Part 1

My blue eyes meet with Donnie's reddish-brown ones when we hear a strange beeping. We look at the Kraang communication device that Hachiko and I brought home a while ago and gasp. Parts of it glow red.

"Holy Toledo!" Donnie gasps. He sits at his desk and types on his keyboard.

I go up to him. "What's up with the alarm, Donnie?"

"The Kraang communication orb's going haywire!" he says. "Which means those little brain blobs are up to something big!"

I lean in next to him. I'm so close that our cheeks are against each other. I stare at the screen. Blue symbols cloud my eyes when I stare at it.

"What is this?" I ask. "Alien language? Can you decode this stuff?"

"I guess we're about to find out," he whispers. He presses a few more keys. "Translating now!"

The screen beeps and we both gasp in terror, horror and unbelief.

* * *

We all gather around Donnie's computer. "Annie and I have been syncing through all this Kraang chatter, and, well, listen to what we translated." He presses a few more keys and the Kraang voice comes through.

"The final phase of the plan known as Kraang's invasion shall commence in the unit of time that is six hours," it says. "The Technodrome shall arrive from Dimension X through the portal."

"Are you sure this is the translated version?" Mikey asks us.

Donnie and I face-palm. "They said in six hours, something called the Technodrome is coming through that portal. This is the final phase of the Kraang invasion!"

Leo raises an eyebrow. "Wait. I thought Annie was the key to the Kraang plot and they don't have her."

"If that Technodrome comes through that portal, well, it sounds like the end of the world," Donnie says sadly. My eyes widen. _Oh shit._

Mikey whimpers nervously. "So, what do we do?" Raph asks.

"Guys," Leo starts. "We've gotta find a way to shut that portal down. It's up to us."

"Save the world?" Mikey clarifies.

I nod, but know I won't be apart of it. I'll be stuck down here, with Splinter, Dad, Spike and my baby Hachiko.

"Leonardo is right," Splinter says, coming up. "When you first went up to the surface, I feared you were not ready. But I have come to realize you we're not only ready to become heroes—it was your destiny. And if the fate of the world rests in somebody's hands, I am grateful it is yours."

His sons bow in respect and I smile. My closest friends, going to save the world. I know the world will be safe once they get to the surface. There's no one I trust more than these four to protect our world from the Kraang. But I wish I could blurt everything out right now, but I'd also have to confess my feelings towards Donnie. And it's not the time for that yet.

The turtles run out and I give a small smile. Splinter turns to his eldest son.

"Leonardo," he says. "A moment, please. With the world at stake the only thing of importance is that you complete your mission."

"Yes, Sensei," Leo says.

"No matter what you have to sacrifice," Splinter continues. "Or...whom."

My eyes widen as I walk out of the room. Losing one of the turtles is too much to bear! I can't lose Leo—he's the best leader ever. I can't lose Raph—Alli would be too upset. I can't lose Mikey—where would I get all my prank advice? And I can't lose Donnie—my heart would be broken so many times.

The turtles prepare for their mission while I watch and help. I kneel down next to the couch when nobody's looking and press my hands together in a praying stand. I close my eyes.

"Mommy," I whisper. "I know you're up there. I need you to protect my friends. Life would be dull without them, and I would have no heart if any of them died, especially Donnie. I love them all, but need them all to come back. I love you, Mom."

As the turtles are lined up in front of the Shellraiser, I give Donnie a hug.

"Please come back," I whisper to him. He nods. I pull away and stand next to Splinter.

"Gentlemen," Leo says. "Let's save the world!" They get into the Shellraiser and drive off, and no matter how dangerous it is, I wish I was going with them.

I look to Splinter, afraid to ask a lingering question in my mind. "Um, Sensei? Do you mid if I ask you a question?"

"Of course not," he says.

I turn to him. "Why aren't you going with them?"

"Why do you ask?" he questions.

I slightly frown. "The turtles are out there risking their lives. Don't you think they could use your help?"

"I am their teacher," he replies sternly. "My role is to prepare them for the challenges they face."

Tears start to come into my eyes. "But, Sensei, you said yourself that this time, the fate of the world—"

He yells something in Japanese, and I'm guessing it doesn't mean _You're right._ "I do not have to explain myself to a child!" He turns and walks away.

I growl and kick a pebble into the subway tracks. He won't even help his own sons fight, and the fate of the whole world is at stake! I sit down and try so hard to hold back tears.

He's never yelled at me before. No matter how many times I've argued or messed up, he's kept his patience with me. That yelling incident hurt me more than anyone mentioning my dead mother.

I look up to see Hachiko, nuzzling my stomach. I get up and walk to the living room, where Splinter sits near the window. I try to talk myself into speaking with him, but shake my head. I go over to the pinball machine and lean on it, scratching Hachiko's head.

I see Dad come up behind me. "Hey, Annie. Where is everybody?" He gives Hachiko a quick pat on the head.

"The Kraang are making their move," I reply angrily. "The turtles are on their way to TCRI."

His eyes widen. "TCRI? Oh, no."

I whip around. "What's wrong?!"

"The Kraang know that the turtles are coming for them," he says.

"...How do you know this?" I take out my T-Phone, but he stops me.

"Don't!" He stares at me. "The Kraang have cracked the T-Phones encryption. We've got to warn the turtles in person."

I raise my eyebrow. "Uh..."

"I'm your father, Annie," he says. "You have to trust me." He places a hand on my shoulder and I smile, nodding. "C'mon."

We start walking towards the exit, but Splinter's voice stops me. "Annie? Where are you going?"

"The turtles are in trouble," I inform him, glaring. "I've gotta go warn them." I turn away from him.

"But you know it is dangerous for you to be on the surface!" he points out.

I glare and give Hachiko one last pat. "Well, some of us can't just sit around and do nothing!" I reply coldly. I walk out with Dad, Hachiko whimpering after us.

We start to walk, but Dad starts to take the wrong subway track route. I raise my eyebrow.

"Dad! What are you doing?!" I hiss, stopping. "This isn't the way to TCRI!" He turns back and stares at me. "Daddy, what's going on?!"

Suddenly, two Foot soldiers appear and grab my arms—tightly. I gasp and try to break free, but they hold me back. "Help!" I scream.

I see another figure come out of the shadows. I gasp.

"Hey there, princess," Karai greets, smirking. "Miss me?"

"Yeah, actually," I reply smoothly. "Last time I saw you I forgot to give you this!" With all my strength, I lift my knee up and knee her right in the stomach—hard.

She backs away, clutching her stomach. Suddenly, two M.O.U.S.E.R.S come up, near my dad. "You've done well," she tells Dad. "Now, take the message to Splinter." He nods and walks away, robots following him.

"Dad?" I ask. "Dad! Dad! What are you doing?! Daddy!" But he keeps walking. The ninjas drag me and I whip around to face Karai. "You brainwashed him!"

"I know," she says, smirking. "Pretty cool, right?"

* * *

The next thing I know, my hands are tied up and I'm staring at Dogpound and Fishface. The mutant fish kneels down and lifts my chin up.

"Not so tough now, are you?" he hisses. I growl. "But you still are very pretty." I spit right in his face and smirk when he lurches back. "Oh, that is disgusting!"

I smile. "You think I'm scared of something that belongs on a plate at**_Red Lobster_**?! I'm not and never will be frightened by ya, Fish Boy!"

He growls, and I can tell he wants to kill me. But I'm yanked by the hair and pulled to a shadowy figure. I growl but it turns into a gasp as the figure steps out of the shadows.

"Ann Elizabeth O'Neil," the Shredder growls. "You have been the one who has disobeyed me as a child, and now fights with the turtles to destroy me." He grabs my neck and I can't breathe. "But rather than kill you myself, I'll let my new friends take care of that." He drops me and I gasp for air, letting it fill my lungs.

"I'll help take her to them," Karai says. She harshly lifts me up and drags me out of the cold room. I snarl once she closes the door.

I use this as my chance. I step on her foot and she lets go. I try to run for the door, but she grabs me and holds me.

"Thought you could get away that easily, princess?" she asks slyly. "Face it. You're not a kunoichi. You never will be."

* * *

I swallow. Those words hurt. I want to be a kunoichi! And I will be! But she takes me out of the room and leads me to two other Foot ninjas, who take me outside to an alley.

They throw me down on the ground and I land on my knees, wincing. But they back out and I turn to the front. I swallow in fear.

The Kraang.

Three of them come towards me and talk. "The one known as Annie O'Neil will now be taken to that which is called the Technodrome. Get her." A Kraang lifts a heavy pipe near my head.

Suddenly, I black out from the hard blow of the pipe.


	26. Showdown—Part 2

~Chapter 26~

Showdown—Part 2

When I open my eyes, I softly groan. Ugh. I had this dream that the Kraang and Shredder brainwashed my dad, and then Shredder kidnapped me and took me to the Kraang! Thank God it was only a dream.

But the huge pink Kraang blob in front of me tells me it's all real. I open my eyes widen and gasp. I try to run, but I realize I'm tied up with metal bars to some kind of flat. _Seriously?!_

"Annie O'Neil," it purrs. I gasp. "Kraang has waited a long time."

I swallow. "Where am I? What's going on?!"

"By all Kraang, I am called Kraang, but you can call me Kraang," it says. Kraang Prime. "Kraang has need of this planet for Kraang to live on."

I raise my eyebrows. "Um, that's great, but we're kind of using it. So you came all this way for nothing. Bummer."

"No. Kraang came all this way for you, Annie O'Neil," Kraang Prime growls.

"Oh really?" I say. "Like I have anything to offer you, Kraang."

"Your mental energy is uniquely attuned to this universe," it explains. Whoa. Donnie would be impressed right now. "Once Kraang gains this ability, Kraang will transform your world into a world for Kraang!"

I start to shake with pure fear, but try to keep calm. "And...how are you going to do that, exactly?!" Suddenly, tubes from behind me reveal themselves and come closer to my head.

I surprise myself by doing something I haven done in years, since my mother was killed: I scream in pure terror.

* * *

**Hachiko's POV **

I find it awkward to be living in the lair with four mutant turtles and a rat, but at least they're friendly to Annie. And that's good enough for me.

I whimper as I pace around the living room. The rat had gone off to fight the Shredder and save Annie, but now that Annie's dad has told the turtles the Kraang have taken her to the Technodrome, I fear that she might be dead.

The purple-masked turtle is the one worried the most. Why shouldn't he be?! He loves Annie, like I do!

I can only pray she's alright.

* * *

**Annie's POV**

Oh. My. God! What the hell is happening?! The helmet has fitted on my head and is now sucking up my mental energy. Kraang Prime cheers evilly and laughs. I feel my eyes widen but they shut, me falling unconscious.

_The area is dark, the only light coming from the fire. Two figures battle, and I realize they are Splinter and Shredder. Suddenly, Splinter jumps back, Shredder laughing. _

_"That is where you are wrong!" he growls. "You took something from me, so I took something from you: your daughter."_

_Splinter's eyes widen. "No...it can't be!"_

_I gasp, knowing who Splinter and Shredder mean. The truth is too much to just ignore. _

_Karai is Miwa, Splinter's daughter. _

_I hear fighting and screams in the darkness. I can no longer see Splinter and the Shredder, but I know they're there. _

_I suddenly hear Hachiko's bark, all strained and sad. Tears come into my eyes as I hear my dog seem to call for me. _

_I just sit there in total darkness, waiting for me to die._

I find the energy to scream again, to warn the turtles, if they're in here, I'm here. I gasp and swallow. _Help me!_ I scream again and Kraang Prime laughs.

"Annie O'Neil," it snarls. "Your mind belongs to Kraang. Soon, your world will be ours! Let the planetary mutation...begin."

* * *

"Witness the end of your time!" Kraang Prime shouts.

"Not if we can help it!" a voice shouts. Leo. I shut my eyes.

"The turtles?!" it screams. "Kraang will not be stopped by pathetic mutants!"

"At least we're not stupid aliens!" Mikey yells back.

"Raph! Quick!" Leo screams.

I hear Kraang Prime scream in pain and I feel the flat begin to go down. The metal bands that wrap around my body are released and the helmet is taken off. I'm gathered in someone's arms. I open my eyes to see my Donnie.

"You're my hero," I whisper. I gently kiss him on the cheek. He chuckles nervously and blushes.

"Hey, chuckles," Raph growls. "We gotta get outta here."

Leo helps me climb on Donnie's shell and I hold on for dear life. "Let's go!" Donnie yells. The turtles jump up and escape.

They run, while I silently let tears fall on Donnie's shell. I blush at the thought of Donnie's staff under my butt to hold me up, but it disappears once Mikey shouts.

"Leo! I have a question!" he yells.

"Can it wait?!" Leo shouts.

"Not really!" Mikey replies. "Did we beat that big Kraang thingy?!"

"Yes, Mikey!" Leo yells. "We did!"

"Okay!" Mikey yells. "Then why is it following us?!"

My eyes widen as Donnie turns around, Kraang Prime growling and roaring, on our tails. _Oh crap!_

It attacks us as the turtles run with me. I glare and force myself to jump off of Donnie's back and unfold my wings. I fly at Donnie's side.

"Everybody!" Donnie screams. "There's one last escape pod up ahead!"

Suddenly, Mikey screams in terror and he falls down one of the slots on the ground. But before I can fly to him, Leo already charges at the Kraang.

"Get away from my brother!" he shouts. He slashes part of the Kraang off, pulling Mikey up.

"There's nowhere for you to run, mutants!" Kraang Prime snarls. "All of you will die here!"

Leo just stares at the monster while the rest of us pile into the escape pod. Suddenly, he jumps up and wraps the kusarigama chain around the Kraang, pulling it back.

"Leo!" Raph shouts.

"Go!" his brother protests. "Get out of here! Now!"

"What are you talking about?!" Raph yells.

"Dude! You can't do this!" Mikey protests.

But Leo stays where he is. "Go! I can't hold it back any longer!"

"Leo!" Donnie grabs Raph and pulls him back.

"We gotta go, now!" Donnie yells. Mikey shuts the pod door as the Kraang breaks free, and the pod shoots out of the ship.

Raph pushes his brothers off of him and presses against the glass. "_**Leonardo!**_"

The pod shoots out and falls into the ocean. The door opens and Donnie holds onto me tighter. He gasps.

"I can't believe it!" he says. "We made it!" We gasp and look up as the ship falls into the ocean, creating unsteady waves. Donnie and I hold onto each other, not letting go for anything.

Mikey looks at the sunken ship. "Leo! No!" The ship sinks into the murky depths of the ocean. "I can't believe he's gone."

I cry into Donnie's plastron. "Leo..." we whisper at the same time.

Raph hangs his head and sits down. "And I gave him nothing but a hard time. If I had it to do-over again, I'd definitely be nicer."

"Really?" a voice asks.

"Yeah." His eyes widen. "Leo? Leo!"

I can't believe it. The blue-masked turtle swims up to us on a piece of Kraang armor. He chuckles.

"Leo!" Raph growls. "You dork! You scared the heck out of us!"

"More like hell!" I add, hugging the turtle.

"We won!" Mikey cheers. We hug onto each other, and for a moment, it's just the five of us in the whole world.

* * *

Back at the lair, Hachiko greets me with so many kisses and barks. Meanwhile, Mikey cheers with his brothers.

"Who saved the world?!" he yells.

"We saved the world!" his bros shout.

"I said who saved the world?!" he shouts louder.

"We saved the world!" his brothers cheer loader than before.

"I said—"

"Stop asking!" Raph yells.

Mikey looks away. "We saved the world..." Raph jams a pizza box in his face and it falls, a slice in Mikey's mouth.

I look over to see Splinter heading for the dojo. I go to him. "Sensei, I wanted to apologize, for the way I spoke to you earlier."

He places the picture back on the shelf and turns to me. "No need. You spoke what was in your heart. I am just relieved that you made it home safely."

Leo comes up next to me. "What's wrong, Sensei?"

He closes his eyes. "I learned some things from the Shredder..." _Karai and Miwa_.

"Like what?" Leo presses.

"That is for another time, Leonardo," his father says. "Tonight is for celebration. After all, it is not everyday you make the world safe from an alien invasion."

"Got that right!" Mikey says. "Everybody, who saved the world?"

"Mikey!"

"Aw."

But the four teenage mutant ninja turtles jump up.**_ "WE SAVED THE WORLD!"_**

Soon, we're having a little dance party, everyone dancing crazy. When my solo comes up, I'm dancing with my own style, Donnie just staring at me. Raph pushes me out of the way and starts busting his own moves. Then, Mikey gets in on the Robot Dance. Even Donnie and Metalhead get in on it!

I smile as the party goes on. Right now, my life is perfect. And I get to go up to the surface! But right now, I don't care about anything except spending the whole Friday night with my bestest friends in the whole world, even if they are teenage mutant ninja turtles. My life rocks, and I wouldn't change it for anything in the world.


	27. Our Enemies Have Returned

~Chapter 27~

Our Enemies Have Returned

Sunlight creaks into the window of my room, pooling onto my shut eyelids. I open my blue eyes, smiling and snuggling into my soft bed.

I'd forgotten how comfy a real bed was. Hell, I'd forgotten how great it felt being on the surface. The weeks living with the turtles had been torturous, not being able to go up outside. At. All.

Yawning, I sit up in bed, thinking about the amazing year I've spent with the turtles. And it'd all started when I was a young fifteen year old, and completely human. Well, I'm still fifteen, but I feel so more mature now. Now, why don't I take a few minutes to flashback the past year?

It all started when I was actually running from the Kraang, a year ago. I didn't know they were the Kraang at first, but as I hung out with the turtles, I came to know them as one of the most hated enemies we have. Anyway, the next night came, and Id seen the turtles talking, or arguing, with my crabby neighbor, Vic. They were attacked by Kraang, and one hit me with its blaster. I'd passed out and awoken in the lair, now a bird-kid. After getting over the shock of being a mutant, the turtles and I went over to Vic's apartment to retrieve a video on his phone. The Kraang had attacked again, and got away with Vic and the video. At the Kraang lair, Vic had turned into Spiderbytez and attacked us. With a little turtle power, we sent him fleeing into the dark city. After that incident, I continued to help them fight off their enemies and gather information on them, even if it meant risking my life.

Recently, the Kraang had invaded our planet and kidnapped me, along with the help of my brainwashed dad. They'd used me and my mental energy for their machine that would mutate the whole planet to create a suitable environment for them. Luckily, the turtles had rescued me and stopped the Kraang ship, making it sink into the murky depths of the ocean. The turtles and I had gone back to the lair to celebrate our victory.

I get up and go to my closet, taking out a pair of jeans and my yellow shirt. Not my trademark outfit, but I like it. I quickly put them on and slip on my boots, taking my bag. I put it on my shoulder and head towards the door of my bedroom. I open it and head to the door of the apartment. I'm about to open it, but a hand stops me. I turn to see Dad.

I frown. "What's wrong?"

"I'm worried the Kraang will try to take you again," he says, fear in his voice. "Who knows if they're gone for good?"

"Don't worry," I say, smiling. "The Kraang are defeated for now, so let's just enjoy the moment." When he still looks doubtful, I add, "I'll be fine. Trust me."

He's silent. "Well, alright. But just go straight to school and then back, alright?" I nod and he gives a small smile. He hugs me. "Try to understand I'm only doing this because I love you."

I nod. "I totally understand, Dad. I love you, too." When he lets go, I open the door and head off to school.

* * *

Once I'm at school, I realize that my sister, April, hasn't been hanging out with the turtles as much as I've been. Actually, she hasn't been down there ever since Leo told us about meeting Karai for the first time! (And that was ten chapters ago, people!)

As if on cue, April suddenly comes towards me from her group of giggling friends. I look around for Alli, my best friend (next to Donnie).

"Annie," April says. "Why weren't you in school for a few weeks?"

I raise my eyebrow. How could she not notice?! The whole Kraang invasion! I was part of it! "April, I was staying with the turtles. I had to, because the Kraang were after me."

April's eyes widen. "They were?!"

"April, you've gotta start hanging out down there more," I say. "If you were, you'd realize that your little sister was kidnapped and used for the Kraang invasion a couple days ago."

April shrugs. "I've got a lot of other things to do than hang out with the turtles."

I fold my arms across my chest. "Like what?"

"School work, babysitting, and many of my other jobs," she says, rolling her eyes. "I gotta go. My friend Kaitlin is telling us all about this cute dress she saw in the mall the other day!" Without waiting for me to reply, she runs off to her group of friends.

My shoulders sag a little. April and I used to be so close, as tight as tight can be. But we've grown so far apart in the year I've been with the turtles. Hanging my head, I start to walk to my first class.

* * *

When the day ends, I go straight home, like I promised Dad. The days followed like that, and soon turned into weeks. I haven't gotten the chance to see Annie, and of course, April was allowed to be out of the house every day it seemed, not counting school.

But that's not the worse part. Dad's alien abduction nightmares were beginning to get worse, and he almost didn't let me leave for school one morning. But due to the work Id already missed, he reluctantly let me go.

One night, I sit down at my desk, drawing a few pictures instead of doing my algebra problems. I close my eyes and let the pencil and my mind take over me. When I do open my eyes, there's a picture of me and my dog, Hachiko, playing at the park. Suddenly, a cold, wet nose pokes my bare leg. I jump, and realize it's Hachiko. I scratch his head and kiss his nose, making his tail wag.

Suddenly, a knock is heard at the fire escape and I rush to it. I'm scared it's the Kraang, but I relax once I see it's the turtles.

I open it. "Guys! Um...great to see you." I look around for Dad, but he's no where in sight. Whew. "Yeah...you mind staying on the fire escape?" Dad would totally freak out if he saw four mutant turtles in our apartment.

"Seems like you've been avoiding us lately, Annie," Leo says.

I sit on the window sill. "Well, April hasn't seen you in months!" I hiss under my breath. "It's not my fault," I say so they can hear me. "Dad's alien abduction nightmares are getting worse. He's so freaked out he won't let me out at night."

Dad reveals himself and comes by me. I'm glad he doesn't seem shocked about the turtles anymore. "I'm sorry, Annie. It's just...what if the Kraang are still out there? Waiting? Lurking? I'll do anything to protect you."

I fold my arms. "Dad, I can take care of myself now, and I'll be with the guys! I couldn't be more safe."

Dad still looks doubtful.

"Trust us, Mr. O'Neil," Mikey speaks up. "Shredder and those little squishy brain freaks are long gone."

* * *

When I step into the lair, I feel like I'm at home. Even it's been my home for a few weeks, I feel like it's my home away from home. My second home. Or...you know what I mean.

In my hand are three boxes of pizza. Suddenly, a large white orb comes at me and I duck. "Hey!" Leo, Raph and Mikey are throwing it back and forth. I roll my eyes and set the boxes on the kitchen counter.

"What are you guys doing?!" Donnie shouts.

"Playin' dodgeball, fool," Mikey says. The orb smacks him in the stomach and he falls to his knees.

"With the Kraang communication orb?!" Donnie catches it as it flies towards him. "This is a rare and fragile piece of alien tech! You guys can't just—"

"Eh, don't get your shell undies in a tangle, Donnie. The Kraang are toast!" Raph says.

"Yeah, lighten up, dude." Mikey puts his hands on Donnie's shoulders. "This is a party!" he cheers.

"My sons," a voice says. We turn to see Splinter. "I know you are still joyously reveling in the defeat of our enemies. But a great question remains."

Mikey sits down on the couch. "What if cupcakes could talk?" I face-palm.

Splinter ignores him. "Are our enemies truly defeated? The Shredder is a crafty and patient foe who bides his time."

"But Sensei," Leo starts. "You said Shredder lost whatever sense of honor he had left. We'd never see him again."

"Yeah," Raph adds. "And if he shows up, we've got it all taken care of." He twirls his sais.

I head to the kitchen to clear my head. Are the Kraang and Shredder really gone for good? Or will they return with an even bigger grudge against us? And I know that Shredder won't forget me so easily. He won't be satisfied until he has my blood on his hands and my body underground.

Suddenly, I hear a strange beeping noise. I look out and head towards the turtles. In Donnie's hands, the white orb is glowing with digital pink/purple dots. My eyes widen.

"That thing's working again?!" I squeak.

"It's been quiet for weeks," Donnie says. "It must've received an incoming signal. Which can mean only one thing."

"Cupcakes can talk!" Mikey cries gleefully.

"The Kraang are back," Leo growls.

Mikey's happy face turns to defeat. "I guess the party really is over."

* * *

"The encryption's tough to crack, but it seems like the Kraang are transporting some kind of cargo," Donnie says. He presses a few keys on his computer and gasps. "Using the Stealth Ship!"

"We gotta find out what that cargo is!" Leo says determinedly.

"So, how do we track a ship that turns completely invisible?" Raph asks.

"We cover it in honey so it attracts bees!" Mikey says eagerly. "Then, we follow the bees."

After some silence, Donnie holds up a small device that looks like an old Nintendo system. "We track it with this. It's a..." He talks in scientific words that even I can't understand.

"English, Professor Brainiac," Raph growls.

Donnie rolls his eyes. "It. Will. Detect. The. Kraang. Space. Ship." He turns to me. "Annie, can you stake out on a rooftop and feed us the ship's coordinates?" He hands me the little machine.

"Me?!" My eyes widen. "I don't know anything about radar!"

"What about your dad?" Leo suggests.

I dwell on that idea for a minute. "My dad? He barely lets me out of the house anymore. He's never gonna go for this."

"Please, Annie?" Donnie begs. "Your dad's a scientist! We really need his help!"

I bite my lip. How can I say no to that adorable face? "I'll...I'll see what I can do."

* * *

"Dad!" I yell once I get into the apartment. "I just remembered something for school. It's..." Alright, I admit it. I'm not a good liar. "...a school project."

He raises his eyebrow. "And?"

"It has to do with radar, and we have to use the roof of the apartments for it." Mentally, I slap myself. I hate lying! "But the problem is, I don't know anything about radar. I need you to help me. Please?" I give him my best puppy dog eyes I can manage.

He hesitates. "Sure."

* * *

Dad, and I stand on the top of the apartment building. My T-Phone rings and I pick it up. It's Leo.

"Annie, you guys in position?" he asks.

I pace back and forth on the roof. "Um, roger, I think." I hang up.

"Kind of late for a school project, don't you think?" Dad says, looking at the radar machine.

"Yeah," I lie. "It's...um, extra credit, Dad. We're tracking...uh...pigeon migration! Hehe...yeah."

Suddenly, the radar machine beeps and Dad holds it up. An invisible shadow flies over us. "What is going on, here?!" It reveals to be the Kraang ship when it flies away. Aw crap. "Is that...the Kraang...!" He drops the radar machine in shock.

I see four shapes go into the ship, and it suddenly turns sideways, flying crazily.

"C'mon, guys," I whisper. "Bring it down!"

Suddenly, hundreds of canisters, all filled with mutagen, pour out of the ship. Their glowing green substance glitter like fake stars in the dark sky. I look up. One canister of mutagen falls towards me and I stand, frozen in terror and horror.

* * *

"Annie!" Dad runs towards me and blocks me from the canister, and it splashes on him. He shrieks in pain at the substance.

"Dad?!" I yelp. He glares and I free my wrist from his hand. "Dad!" He falls towards the pavement and a flock of bats shrieks and flies away. "No, no, no!"

I fall on my stomach on the roof, arms over my head. A huge bat-like creature with a large head flies up onto the other roof, staring down at me.

"Dad!" I breathe. "Oh, no. No. No!" He flies towards me an I scramble to my feet, running along the rooftops, and the bat hot on my tail.

My own father—a mutant. And the turtles just rescued him from the Kraang!

"Stop!" I shout to the bat. "It's me, Dad! Annie!" I skid to the side and jump on another rooftop. I hide behind a pillar and hold my tessen tightly. "Please don't ground me, but...!" I jump out, unfold my tessen and strike, hitting the mutant in the arm. He lands, looking at me in sadness. I flinch and straighten up. "Sorry, Dad."

He stares at me and I feel my heart swell. How can he be a mutant?!

Suddenly, he roars and I see the turtles drop around me. They lunge.

"No!" I scream. "Don't hurt him!" They freeze, and the bat flies towards me. It grabs my shoulders and lifts me off the ground.

"Annie!" Donnie screams.

"Donnie!" But the bat, my father, is already carrying me away.

* * *

I wake up on a rooftop, my back against the wall. I groan and rub my neck. "Where am I?" I look over the edge and gasp at how high I am. I press against the wall. "This is a dream. Gotta be. How did I get here?" A shadow crosses mine and I gasp. The bat flies towards me and I scream.

* * *

I sink down, so I'm sitting, and the bat tries to bite me. I shrink away and hold him away from my face. He backs away and coughs up something, making it land on my lap. Trash and dead mice. He smiles proudly.

"Ugh," I mutter. "Sick!" I push the wet bundle off my lap. "You expect me to eat that?!" I cross my arms over my chest. "Now go! Go get me some real food! You go, Dad. Go!" He flies away and I sigh in relief. "Okay. Bought myself some time. Ugh. There's gotta be a way off this stupid ledge!" I get to my feet and carefully and slowly start moving away to the right. I keep my back to the wall, afraid I'll fall.

I see four—or five—shapes flying in the air and I gasp. "Guys!" I wave my arms around. "Over here!" Suddenly, the bat slams into Donnie, making him fall. "No! Donnie!" He falls onto the roof next to me. I smile. "Donnie! Up here! I'm over here!"

He turns and smiles. "Annie! Hold on!" He throws a hook on a rope and I slide down it, wrapping Donnie in a hug as soon as I hit the roof.

We run to the warehouse and I skid in, seeing my dad in a large cage. I run to him.

"Dad!" Tears start to bubble in my eyes. I kneel down and sniffle. "Dad." I reach out my hand and rest it on his head. He closes his eyes. I stand up. "What are we gonna do with him? I mean, keep him caged forever? Feed him a steady diet of mice and flies?!"

"Actually, bats love moths and spiders too, so—" Donnie shuts up when I gasp. "Sorry."

I hang my head. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't lied to Dad..." Tears start to streak down my cheeks.

"Listen," Mikey says, putting a hand on my shoulder. I realize he's in a butterfly costume. "Don't blame yourself, Annie. It was our fault. We spilled the mutagen. We'll fix it."

My teary eyes widen. "What? You guys...you guys spilled the mutagen?" I glare at him.

"Yeah," he says. "We accidentally unleashed all that mutagen all over the city, but don't worry, we'll get it back."

I start to breathe heavily with rage. I turn to the other three turtles. "You...you!" More tears stream down my pale cheeks. The bat roars behind me.

Donnie looks the most guilty. "I swear...by Darwin's beard, we'll cure him!"

"**_YOU MUTATED MY FATHER!_**" I scream.

I instantly feel guilty. It's not his fault. It's the Kraang's. they brought the mutagen here in the first place.

Suddenly, Dad breaks out of the cage and flies. "What? No!" He charges at us and I dodge, backing into a corner. I scream as he goes for me, my Donnie jumps up and smacks him in the face with his staff. Dad flies off. "Dad!"

I whip around to face the four brothers. Tears are taking over me, and I silently cry. Donnie reaches over to me, but I shrink away.

"Don't!" I scream. "Don't touch me! You keep away from me! I never wanna see your faces ever again!" Crying and sobbing, I run away as fast as my legs will carry me.

"_Annie!_" Donnie calls after me.

* * *

When I reach our apartment, I flop down on my bed, crying my eyes out. I know I shouldn't have screamed at Donnie and the turtles like that, but I was caught up in the moment. I didn't know what I was saying. And I wonder, even after saying I never wanted to see him again, if he still loves me. The real question is this:

_**Do I still love him?**_


	28. AN

**Listen, guys. I love writing this story, but I'm going to pause and not write chapters 28 & 29. Im going to pick up at Chapter 30, where Casey steps in.**

**I know now you guys probably hate me now, but I'm torn. I need to see the rest of Season 2 to know if I'm going to do chapters 28 & 29. But for now, since Annie isn't going to be in them, I'm not going to write them.**

**Sure, I might go back and write them once I know what I'm going to do with the story, but for now, I'm going to pick up from chapter 30. But please don't hate me for this decision.**

**If you guys want, turn to the next chapter for a small summarybof what is going on in Annie's life since she fought with the turtles.**


	29. Another AN

As I said in the last chapter, I'm picking up from chapter 30. Anyways, this is a summary of what's happened to Annie so far since she last saw the turtles:

_**Annie's POV**_

_**Ever since I've fought with the turtles, I've been broken. My heart feels shattered, and the only one I have so far is April. But she keeps lying that the turtles meant to mutate our father, and that they never really cared for me. I know they're lies, but I don't tell her. I'm so broken now she has complete control of what I think. I can't fight back; I'm too depressed. She stays away from the turtles too and keeps feeding me lies to keep me away from them as well. I know I have to speak up, but she's my sisters, and I can trust her...can't I?**_


	30. Annie, Meet Casey

Chapter 30  
Annie, Meet Casey

Taking a deep breath, I open my locker in the hallway of school, only to be met with tons of pictures and my school supplies. I talk calmly to myself as I get my trigonometry textbook along with my trig notebook. I whimper as I see the picture of me on a swing at the park, Donnie pushing me. "This is it, Annie. A new start. Just pretend you're a normal girl. Don't talk about alien robots, or mutant dads, and don't even think about turtles." I feel something suddenly hit me, and I fall down, yelping. I open my eyes and groan, turning to see a hockey puck next to my head. "Are you serious?!"

Someone takes the puck away with a hockey stick. "Nice job stoppin' my puck like that," a voice says. I look up to see an older-looking boy smiling at me. "You've got some moves, Red."

Raising my eyebrow, I get up and hug my books tightly, brushing them off. "Um, you could start with 'sorry'!" I hiss at him.

He smirks. "Sorry you got in the way." I roll my eyes. Ugh, this kid's already on my nerves. "What were you doing blocking the hallway like that, anyway?"

I blink. "Blocking the—ugh! Exactly who do you think you are?!" I brush away some stray red hair out of my eyes.

The boy stops in front of me and smiles, leaning on his hockey stick. "You signed up for extra cred, right? Well, rejoice! 'Cause I'm the guy you're gonna tutor!"

Realizing what this means, I roll my eyes. "Ugh. Great," I mutter.

He glares and suddenly turns serious. "Look. If I don't pass trig, they'll kick me off the hockey team. Nobody else wants to tutor me. They're all intimidated by my supreme awesomeness." He smirks.

"So, this is you asking me for help?" I roll my eyes. "Charming."

He leans in and stares into my eyes. Feeling a little bit weak, I clutch my trig textbook and notebook closely. I hear the bell ring and expect the boy to move out of my way, but he doesn't. I nervously look from side to side without moving my head and finally meet the boy's eyes. He smiles, and I notice he's missing a few of his front teeth.

I sigh. "Fine. Meet me at the park at seven. Don't be late!" I add some harshness into that last part.

"It's a date then," he says, smiling. "Nice!" He swings the stick and the puck goes flying into the water fountain, clicking the button and releasing the water. "Yes!" The puck keeps soaring and hits a girl right in the face. We both cringe, but the boy shrugs it off.

When he starts to walk away, I step forward. "So, what's you're name, anyway?"

He turns back around to face me and smirks. "Casey Jones." He winks, leaving me feeling a little sick in my stomach.

* * *

At seven in the park, Casey and I swing on the swing set, my trig textbook in my hands, open to a certain page.

"Okay," I say, pointing to a problem. "Show me how you solve for X."

He keeps swinging. "You just...dig, right? 'Cause X marks the spot."

I grab the rope of the swing and glare at him, holding up the textbook. "Have you ever opened this book?" I drop it down and sit on the swing, sighing.

"School isn't really my thing," Casey admits. "When I graduate, I'm becoming either a pro hockey player or an international bounty hunter."

I look away. "Those are quite the options."

We sit in silence until he breaks it. "Who wants a normal life anyway, right?"

I close my eyes and brush away my hair, sighing. I haven't hung out like this since I left the turtles. The turtles. Just thinking about them makes me wanna cry. I miss them so much!

"Hold still, Red," he says. "You got a smudge on you're face." He leans over and reaches up to my cheek, wiping off any sort of smudge. I smile softly under his touch.

Suddenly, a loud crash is heard, and we both jump, looking around wildly. "What was that?" I whisper. But it's gone now. I whimper softly, thinking.

* * *

Casey and I walk through the roads at night, but I walk a little slower than Casey.

"We didn't get much studying done," I say, breaking the silence between us.

"Is studying all you do?" Casey asks. "You gotta learn to relax. Cut loose a bit."

I stop in my tracks. "Hey! I cut loose! You have no idea the kind of crazy things I do."

He smiles, turning to me. "What, like being a science Olympian?"

I smile, raising my eyebrow. "You like pushing buttons, don't you, Jones? I bet you—"

I'm cut off my a weird, radio-like voice calling my name. "Annie!" I turn to see a huge green glob of a monster coming towards me.

"Donnie's monster?!" I choke out. "Can't I go a month without some mutant attacking me?!" Casey steps in between me and the monster, smirking. "What are you doing?"

"Whatever that thing is, it's pure evil and completely cool-looking!" he says. "I'll handle this, sweetheart."

My eyes widen. "Sweetheart?!" The monster yells nonsense at Casey and I. "I don't think it likes you."

"We're even," Casey says.

The monster starts running towards us, but Casey and I jump out of the way. I hit the ground and see a small streak of blood on my arm. I get up and see Casey rummaging through a dumpster. What the...?! The monster shoves Casey in it and tips it over, sending it flying. I get up and follow it, only to see Casey hit the wall, the monster hanging over him.

In a flash, I whip out my tessen and extend it, throwing it. It smacks the monster in the face and spins around like a boomerang, falling into my hands. I aim it at the monster.

"Back off, gruesome!" I lunge for the monster, hitting it with my tessen. I strike, but it dodges, and I glare at it.

It speaks. "Wait! Annie friend!"

I raise my eyebrow, still glaring. "Friend? You're the one who attacked us, you walking anatomy class!"

I hit it with my tessen, Casey with a pipe, and we both send the monster flying. Casey runs for it, but the monster snatches the pipe away, melting it. The melted pipe falls in Casey's hands.

He blinks. "Acid hands? Wow!"

The monster smacks him away, and I sneak up behind it, ready to strike, but its hand connects with my body, sending me flying.

"Annie!" it screams.

I sit up, tessen in hand, ready to attack, when something catches my eye. Casey, on his bike, rides up in a split second and grabs my arm, saving me from the monster. I hop onto the back of the bike, my back against Casey's, and see the monster running for us.

"How fast can you pedal?" I ask him.

He doesn't exactly answer. He keeps dodging the cars on the road and skids along the corners, barely missing them.

The monster picks up speed and goes for me. I whimper as his acid hands almost touch me. "For a big...guy thing, he's fast!"

"Let's see him outrun this!" Casey throws the pipe at the monster, hitting it right where its forehead would be. It tumbles onto the road and looks up, just before getting hit by a truck.

My mouth is open in shock. "Yeah!"

"We did it!" Casey yells triumphantly.

* * *

Turning the corner to my apartment, Casey and I keep a watchful eye out for any mutants. "No sign of any hideous organ monsters," Casey whispers. I walk up the stairs to my apartment. "So, do all your study sessions go like this?"

Sighing, I turn to him. "You have no idea."

"So, when's our next date?" I blink. Date?! "You can tell me about that crazy metal fan you're carrying."

I blink a few more times to clear my head. "Date?" I chuckle softly. "Don't get ahead of yourself there, Jones." I turn back towards the door, but look over my shoulder to him. "So, another study session tomorrow?"

"Possibility," he says, smirking.

Behind him, I see Mikey and Raph taking out the huge mutagen monster. They pull him back into the alley as Casey turns to go that way. I gasp. He can't see them!

"Wait!" I say. "Hold on!"

He turns. "I knew it. Something you wanna say to me, Red?"

I stutter. "Yeah. Um, you don't wanna go down this way, because...uh...toxic fumes! Why don't you take this side street over here?" I pull him over to the opposite direction. "You can get home faster."

He smiles and gets on his bite. "Whatever you say, O'Neil! Later!" He rides off, and I let out a relieved sigh.

I look back to the alley, where I see the turtles fighting the huge mutagen monster Casey and I encountered earlier. "I knew they had something to do with this," I growl. "Just keep walking, Annie. It's not your problem."

A trash can suddenly flies at me, and I yelp, dodging it. I run up the stairs and into my apartment, running into my room and shutting the door.

I shakily sigh in relief. "Whew. That was close." I flop down on my back on the bed and close my eyes, letting thoughts of Donnie and Casey tire me out and put me to sleep.


	31. One Last AN

Okay, guys. I posted the 30th Chapter for you, and I apologize for a huge delay coming up. I'm going to be a bit busy, and can't just sit down and write like I used to. I'll try to update as soon as I can, but I find that a little bit hard, since I'm working on training my puppy and focusing more on my Pokémon story.

Also, I feel that you should know this: like the chapters 28 & 29, I'm skipping 31 until I know what to do. I'm going to start up again from Chapter 32, in the episode Target: April O'Neil.

As always, I hope you enjoyed the story so far, and will enjoy the future chapters. And keep an eye out for any Annie and Donnie romance along the way. Bye!


	32. Karai vs Annie—Part 2

Chapter 32  
Karai vs. Annie—Part 2

The darkness seems to envelope the whole city, especially the street in walking on. It's not really safe for me to be walking alone at this time of night, but I don't care. Ever since my fight with...them, I've become more reckless than usual.

I keep hearing whooshing sounds from above, but every time I look, nothing can be seen. I shrug and walk into an alley, still hearing the noises.

I whip around, holding my tessen. "I know you're following me! Come out so I can see you!" I growl and throw the tessen to the garbage can, where it swings behind it. It hits someone, and I'm surprised to see my somewhat ex-bestest-friend-I've-ever-had. "Donnie?!"

He looks a little nervous. I am, too. We'd been really, really close before that whole mess with them mutating my dad. But I know they're not to blame, but I still hold a grudge. "Funny us both passing through this shady back alley at the same time, huh?" He gets my tessen and chuckles nervously, walking over to me. I cross my arms. "So, um, h-how have you been?"

I snatch the weapon away. "Oh, you know, the usual. Homework, chess club, dealing with a father who turned into a homicidal mutant bat!" I get in his face at that last one.

His beautiful reddish-brown eyes I had loved so much when I first saw him glitter with hurt. "Annie, it wasn't completely our fault. But I'm sorry that—"

"Not as sorry as I am!" I yell at him, feeling my stomach burn and tears form in my blue eyes. "I wanna be left alone, Donnie! No more talking mutants in my life! I never wanna see you again!" I start to storm away when his voice stops me.

"Annie?" I glare at him. "Some things are just beyond our control."

I look down. It's not his fault entirely. He's right about that part. But my father wouldn't have become a mutant if they hadn't spilled the canisters all over the city. Actually, I think it's my fault, since the canister that hit Dad was coming towards me, and I was frozen with terror when it flew towards me. Dad blocked it from hitting me, so it's technically my fault. But I give him one last glare and keep walking, fighting tears the whole way.

* * *

I manage to wipe away most of the tears from my eyes once I get to the ice rink to watch Casey. I lean on the railing and watch him dreamily.

And no, I don't have feelings for him. He's just one of my really close friends, since I've stayed away from Donnie lately.

He finally notices me. "Red?" I smile at the nickname. I haven't gotten one for him yet. That'll be Mikey's job once he meets him. ...If he meets him. Casey skates over to me and sighs. "I miss a study session?"

I feel my cheeks flush. "No. I'm just here to hang out."

He smiles. "With the infamous Casey Jones?"

"Unless you only like me for my trigonometry," I reply.

He gives me another smile. "So, what's your deal? Never see you hanging out with anybody. Antisocial much?"

I look away. "Not really. I...I had four really close friends. I don't talk to them anymore." I feel like someone just killed me when I say that. I've never really spoken about the pain of losing the turtles about anyone.

"It happens," Casey says. He skates towards the center of the rink. "Me and my best friend Nick were up against Tromatown in last year's playoffs, right?" He hits the puck. "He came up behind me just as I was about to sink the winning goal, and wham! Smacked his helmet straight off. Swollen face, split lip... My best friend since second grade. Never spoke to me again."

My heart squeezes in sympathy. "But it's not like you meant it."

He shrugs. "Right. Some stuff is just beyond our control."

I feel more tears come up as I remember Donnie said the same thing. I miss him so much.

Casey comes out of the rink. "Give me a sec to grab my gear. We can get something to eat. Pizza."

When he leaves, my face falls. Pizza. The turtles and I used to have it all the time down in the lair. I really wish we could put this whole mess behind us.

I grab my T-Phone, after shutting it off during the weeks of pain over my dad and look at Donnie's picture for his contact. "Donnie..."

I can't bring myself to stop loving him. I know I should hate him, but I've been in love with him ever since I saw him. I guess you could say it was kinda love at first sight for us, since he has—or had, I don't know anymore—a crush on me. And even though he accidentally mutated my dad, I can't find it in my heart to despise him.

Suddenly, something crashes through the roof, me shielding my face. When I look, I see familiar ninjas—and not the good kind.

I gasp. "Foot soldiers?!" I back away, them running towards me, electronically humming. I whip out my tessen and start fighting them, doing my best to dodge their attacks and land hits on them. It's a little tricky, considering how much training I have to catch up on. They corner me on a little bench, and I stare at them in fear. "Didn't you guys use to be human?!" I roll over the bench and into the ice rink, sliding. But to my advantage, the Foot soldiers slide, too, but soon get the hang of it.

I hear Casey's voice. "Yo! If there's one thing Casey Jones has, it's crackerjack timing."

I bite my lip. "Casey, run!"

But like all boys, he doesn't listen to me. Instead, he jumps into the rink. "What, so you get all the fun?" He hits two hockey pucks at the same time, each hitting a soldier. "I got 'em! You go!"

I smack a soldier away. "No! I got 'em! You go!"

He slams into a soldier. "Cross checking. Two minutes!" He whacks another with his hockey stick. "High sticking!" He turns to me. "It ain't a penalty if they deserve it, right?" The soldier beside him trips him to the floor and prepares to strike, but I throw the other ninja's kama at it. Casey smiles at me. "You got some rink rage, Red."

I smirk, placing my hands on my hips. "You should see me play ping-pong."

He motions to the soldiers. "So, you owe these guys money or something?"

More soldiers appear and get on the ice with us. "Or something," I mutter. "Casey, just go. I didn't mean to get you into this!"

He only smiles at me. "Are you kidding me? Do you know what this is? This is Casey Jones versus Evil Robo Ninjas! Coolest freakin' thing in the universe!" I find the second to roll my eyes. I guess all boys are alike, aren't they? "Goongalla!" He prepares to strike.

* * *

I can only watch helplessly as Casey fights the robots. I've gotta get some of them away from him! He can't possibly take them all down!

I smirk. "Hey, Footbots!" Some look at me. "You want me? Come and get me!" I jump out of the rink.

Not really the best thing to do.

"Annie!" Casey yells.

I just realize what I've done. I run out the ice rink and into the night, the robots following close behind.

They throw knives at me, which dig into the building in front of me. I use them to climb onto the balcony and on top, on the roof.

I haven't used my wings since the fight with the turtles, so I don't even know if I can use them. But I take the risk when I see the next roof is a few yards away, and unfold them, spreading them and jumping. I flap them, and they carry me to the next roof.

I sigh in relief that they still work, and they don't fail to bring back good memories. I fold them up and keep running.

Suddenly, something tackles me to the ground, and I fall to the pavement, landing on my feet. I duck behind a garbage can and pray that whatever tackled me won't find me.

I whip out my T-Phone and press Donnie's name, pulling it to my ear.

Donnie's voice comes through. "Hi. This is Donay—Diner—Dono—Dano—Dinomi..."

"Donnie!" I interrupt. "Remember how you said sometimes things are out of control? You were right!" I scream as a scythe almost connects with my head. I roll out of the way and feel my heart pound out of my chest. "Things are really out of control right now!"

"Hold on, Annie!" Donnie says. "I'll be right there!" With that, I stuff the phone back into my pocket and keep running. I slide under a Foot soldier's legs, skidding along the pavement, scraping my knees. That's gonna hurt tomorrow.

I find myself at the park, where Casey and I had our first study session together. I see the Foot soldiers closing in on me, making me growl. I take my tessen out, aiming.

"Fine," I snarl, trying to be as fierce as I can be. "You want a fight?!"

Suddenly, a Footbot grabs me from behind, and I drop my tessen. Another Footbot comes for me, but a blade jabs into its chest. The smile that erupts from me almost cracks my face in joy.

"Donnie!" I cry.

He fights like a wolf, trying to protect his mate. He jumps from the swing set and the blade comes out of his staff, stabbing the robot's head. I shake when the grip loosens on me, and I wrap my arms around myself.

"Took you long enough," I breathe. I retrieve my tessen.

"I'm sorry," Donnie apologizes. "I had to figure out your coordinates with the T—whoa!" He blocks me with his staff, just in time for a shuriken to dig into the material. We both turn to see the girl I despise the most. "Karai."

She smiles as she comes closer. "Well, I was hoping for all the turtles to see this, but I guess one's good enough. Your rat master took away someone I cared about." Donnie and I exchange glances. "So I'm returning the favor." She aims her weapon at Donnie, and he aims his.

* * *

"Stay away from Annie!" Donnie screams.

Karai doesn't seem faltered. "Footbots, keep the turtle busy." They charge at him, while Karai goes for me. I jump back, yelping. "This is between us girls."

"Then let's dance," I shoot back.

We clash weapons, and she pushes me back, making me fall on the ground. She tries to stab my head, but I dodge the blow, swinging my leg up. I manage to slice her lip again, like in our first battle, and throw my tessen, but she dodges.

"Your skills are weak, Annie," she growls. Blood from her lip streaks down her chin. "I've had years of training." My tessen suddenly comes back, hitting her in the face.

I snatch it, fanning myself with it and smirk. "You talk too much."

She strikes again, but I manage to dodge. I block another attack with the tessen, but she hits it out of my hand, and I fall to my knees, breathing heavily. I feel blood running down my cheek. She charges for me, and I yelp, shielding myself. Please, if she kills me, let it be a quick finish.

But her weapon doesn't connect with my flesh; it connects with Donnie's staff. "You're not gonna touch her!" Donnie yells. He smacks the weapon out of her hands and repeatedly hits her, protecting me.

I smile softly. After all Donnie's been through because of me, he still wants to protect me.

He gets to the point where Karai is on the ground, at Donnie's mercy. Suddenly, some kind of robot lands behind Karai, and I know it means bad news.

"Um, Donnie?" I murmur. "I'm thinking retreat."

Karai flips over to the robot. "Like my new little toy? Robot, eliminate the girl."

I freeze as the robot's eyes are locked on me. I feel my blood go cold as Donnie charges at it, but it grabs his staff and throws him aside.

I watch in horror as Donnie looks at me, his eyes telling me to run. I turn away and try to, but a pink whip pulls me back to the robot. I struggle to free myself as the robot beeps and whirrs.

"Let me go!" I scream.

The robot speaks. "System override. Do not destroy Annie O'Neil." My eyes widen. "Capture for the Kraang."

Karai's eyes widen. "What?!" The robot tries to take off with me, but Karai smacks it down to the ground, and I hit the pavement, feeling my shoulder pop out of place. I yelp in the pain.

"Threat detected," I hear the robot say. "Eliminate threat."

Donnie kneels down to me. "You okay?"

I smile at him as he helps me up, but my shoulder's still killing me. "For once, I'm actually glad the Kraang wanna kidnap me."

Suddenly, when the robot prepares to come at me, the Shellraiser skids around the corner, ramming into the robot.

"Oh, yeah!" Mikey yells. "Firing manhole covers!" He shoots a manhole cover at the robot. "Eat it, Chrome Dome!"

The robot shoots a pink light from its eyes at the manhole covers, splitting them in half. It throws the whip at Mikey, tossing him to the side. The robot then flips the Shellraiser on its side, Leo and Raph jumping out.

"Aw!" Leo whines at the sight of the Shellraiser. "I just waxed her, too!"

We watch the robot fight Karai. "Dude, I so want plasma chucks!" Mikey says. "Donnie, can you hook a turtle up?"

Chrome Dome tears a Footbot right in half, and I realize pink sparks are erupting from its back. "Guys, I think I know how we can take that thing down!" Donnie says.

"Oh, are you on this team?" Raph growls, running past Donnie.

"Yeah, way to ditch us, dude," Leo adds.

I glare. "Go easy on him, guys! If it wasn't for Donnie, I would've—holy crap!" Suddenly, Karai kicks me in the face, smirking.

"I don't need that stupid robot to finish you," she says.

"Annie!" Donnie screams.

I dodge her attacks and try to defend myself. I can't believe this girl. I mean, when we first saw each other a few months ago, she tried to win my friendship, and now she's trying to kill me. Some friend.

Leo jumps in to help me, fighting against Karai. I wonder if he knows they're brother and sister yet.

Karai kicks me again, and I throw my trusty tessen at her, hoping it'll come back around. She dodges it, and Leo kicks her in the face. He points the tip of his katana at her.

"It's over, Karai," he growls.

She jumps up. "For now!" She throws a smoke bomb and disappears. But she'll be back. She always is.

I see my tessen come back to me, and I snatch it, taking deep breaths. I notice the robot's down. "That wasn't...too difficult," I mutter.

Leo helps me to my feet. "You alright? Easy does it, Annie. It's over now."

I look away. "I just need to catch my breath." I haven't been in a fight like this one in a long time. I smile at the turtles. "Thanks, guys. I just wanted to say..." I gasp. "Oh, my God! I forgot about Casey!"

I run towards the ice rink and barge in through the doors. Oh, please let him be alright! I'm relieved to see him knocking out the last Footbot.

"And that is how you play hockey," he says, smirking.

I smile. "Casey!" I jump into the rink. "Are you okay?" I slip on the ice, losing my balance.

"Of course I am," he says. He catches me, my hands on his chest. "Whoa. Steady there, Red."

I smile at him, but in the reflection of the glass around the rink, I see Donnie, looking totally heartbroken. I immediately feel guilty.

* * *

I step into the lair, something I haven't done recently, and see the turtles watching TV. "Hey, guys." I smile at them when they notice me.

"Annie!" Leo cries.

"You're back!" Raph says.

"What up?" Mikey asks.

Donnie gives me the smallest smile, and I return it. I see Splinter come up next to me. "It is very good to see you, Ann Elizabeth," he says.

"I missed you, Master Splinter," I tell him. "I...hope we can start training again soon." I miss the training sessions with him and the turtles.

He smiles. "Of course. Whenever you wish." I bow in respect.

I turn to the turtles. "I never got a chance to tell you guys that...I'm sorry for everything."

"You're sorry? But we were the ones that screwed up," Leo protests.

"It was an accident, and more importantly, you're my friends," I say. "I don't ever wanna hold a grudge ever again."

Mikey comes to me. "You're the best, Annie! To mark this day, I offer you the slice of eternal reunion." He holds out a piece of pizza.

I inspect it. "It has lint and dead bugs all over it."

He smiles. "I know. I just found it under my bed. It's eternal." To my complete disgust, he shoves it in his mouth and eats it. Okay, ew.

I go over to my favorite turtle and look him in the eyes. "Thanks, Donnie, for always being there. Even when I didn't want you to be."

I wrap my arms around his neck, burying my face in the crook. I feel his arms wrap around my waist, holding me close.

I pull away and place my hands on his face, smiling. "I love you, Donnie." I gently and softly place the tiniest kiss on his mouth.

On his mouth.

**_On his mouth!_**

I kissed him! **_I finally kissed Donnie!_**

When I pull away, both of our faces are as red as blood. His reddish-brown eyes glow with shock and affection, and he smiles.

"Um..." I blush crazily. "Well...I gotta go see how April's doing at the apartment. I'll...see you guys tomorrow." I give Donnie a smile and head out of the lair. I can tell the other turtles are staring in shock over what just happened.

* * *

When I get to my apartment, I go into April's room, where she's sitting on her bed, typing away on her laptop.

"Hey, Annie." She looks at me. "You seem happy tonight. What happened? Something go your way for a change?"

I sigh happily, thinking about the small kiss. "You have no idea."


	33. Slash

Chapter 33  
Slash

With the cute goggles on, I can tell Donnie rolls his eyes as he mixes up some liquid in a measuring glass. "Can it get any louder out there?" he groans. "I'm never gonna find a retro-mutagen at this rate. Who can concentrate with Raph exploding all the time?!" He pours a drop of pink liquid into the blue liquid, and it glows. "Uh-oh."

"Hit the deck!" I shout. We hide behind his desk and hear exploding sounds like fireworks going off. I turn to Donnie. "What the hell did you put in that?!"

He blushes and swallows. "Hehe..."

After the explosions, we go look outside of the lab, where the whole lair is in ruins. Our mouths are open in shock.

"Wow," Donnie says, coughing. "I did not see that one coming!" He lifts up his goggles to reveal his unique reddish-brown eyes. "Everyone okay?"

Raph storms over to us. "What are you, crazy?! No! We're not okay!" He gets in our faces.

"What happened here?!" the voice of Splinter demands.

Raph glares. "I'll tell you what happened, Master Splinter. Donnie and Annie almost blew us up...again! And worse, they almost blew up Spike!" He motions to his little pet turtle on his shoulder.

Donnie scratches the back of his neck nervously. "Raph, dude, we're really sorry. We—"

"Sorry doesn't cut it this time!" Raph yells, going into Donnie's lab. He comes back out with a canister of mutagen. "Until the mad scientist and his assistant gets their act together, I'm holding this for safekeeping."

Donnie's eyes widen. "No, Raph, be reasonable! Man, that's my last canister of mutagen!" But Raph ignores him.

* * *

Soon, we're cleaning up the lair and the remains of the explosions. I wince as I pick up a piece of a pizza box, thinking how sad that must've made Mikey.

"Sensei, this is completely unfair!" Raph protests. "Donnie and Annie made this mess! How come I have to help?!"

I turn to see Donnie looking kind of sad. I nudge his arm and smile at him, trying to lift his sad spirits.

"Allow me to make a suggestion, Raphael," Splinter says.

Raph rolls his eyes. "Suggest what, Sensei?! I'm sick of suggestions! What could you possibly suggest?!"

Splinter reaches over and hits a pressure point in his son's neck, making him fall backwards. "Perhaps you should sit and meditate for a while." Raph groans, but doesn't get up.

I suddenly hear faint grunting noises coming from Raph's room. I hear a roar and gasp, seeing if the other turtles have noticed. They don't seem to have. I shrug and keep cleaning.

"I feel terrible," Donnie says suddenly, breaking the silence between us. "It's my fault Raph's mad."

I rest a hand on his shoulder. "Dude, it's not completely yours. Half of it goes to me." He gives me a smile.

Leo shakes his head. "It's not you, Donnie, and neither you, Annie. Well, it's...it's partly you. Raph just has to work on his insanely bad temper."

"Maybe he should switch to decaffeinated pizza?" Mikey suggests.

The little mutagen tracker on Donnie's belt suddenly beeps, and he grabs it. "Whoa! The mutagen tracker just picked up a new canister! It's close!"

Leo stands up. "Then let's gear up!"

I start to run over to Raph's room. "I'll grab Raph!"

"Better you than me," Mikey mutters.

I go over to the door and pound on it. "Hey, Raph!"

"Yeah?" his answer comes.

"Got a mutagen mission," I tell him. "Need you on deck!"

"Right." He sounds unsure, but opens the door and sticks his head out. "Uh...I'll catch up in a minute. Go on without me."

I glare. "Fine, 'cause we're not waiting." I slam the door in his face, joining the brothers on their patrol.

* * *

"We've got mutagen close by!" Donnie yells to us as we jump over the rooftops. "Just on the other side!"

Mikey looks over the edge of the roof. "Ooze jar in full effect!"

Leo smiles. "Sweet. Let's grab it and bag it. Looks like we didn't need Raph after all." Mikey goes for the canister, but Leo holds him back. "Hold up. Somebody's coming."

A pizza boy drives up and sees the mutagen, picking it up. "Cool! A free energy drink." I face-palm. People these days can be so stupid. "It's still sealed, too!" He puts it on the back of his bike and drives off.

Meanwhile, Leo swings from a rope to grab it, only to collide with Raph. "Hey, what are you doing?!" Raph yells. "I had him!"

"You're late, Raph!" Leo snaps back.

Donnie, Mikey and I exchange looks. "Are they gonna argue all night?!" Donnie growls. "The mutagen's getting away!"

Mikey's eyes widen. "Dude, I can totally see Raph's forehead veins bulging from here! Check it out! His head's gonna pop!"

I turn back to Donnie, but to my surprise, he's not there. "Donnie?" I look around. "Donnie!" I whip around. "Mikey, Donnie's not here!" When he gives me a worried look, I try not to panic inside. "All right," I say. "You go get Raph, and I'll look for Donnie." He nods and runs off. I do, too, and keep calling Donnie's name. "Donnie! Donnie! Where are you?!"

Suddenly, a female scream interrupts me. I whip around to the source. I know that voice anywhere. My best friend.

"Alli!" I scream, hopping along the roofs to get to her. "Where are you?! Alli!"

I suddenly see her on a roof, pinned down by some hideous green and spiky mutant. I gasp.

"Get the hell away from her!" I yell, drawing out my tessen.

Her eyes meet mine. "Annie! Help me!"

The mutant doesn't listen to me, and instead swipes Alli away with a clawed hand. She screams in pure agony and lands on the edge of the roof. My eyes widen and I feel them flash with hatred at the mutant, who runs towards Alli to strike again.

"No!" I scream. I run towards him with everything I have, but I can't catch up to him, and he pushes Alli off the roof. "ALLI!"

I hear a sickening crunch, and the mutant glares at me. "That was just an extra, turtle girl. Not really on my list, but it was enjoyable. See ya around." With that, he runs away.

Tears streaming down my cheeks, I jump down from the roof and see Alli, sprawled onto the pavement. Her left arm is twisted in an awkward angle, and her legs are cut wide open. Her whole body is covered in her own blood, which sickens me to my stomach. Carefully, I take her in my arms and go back onto the roof with her. I lay her down in front of me, and she stirs.

Her eyes slowly open. "...Annie?"

I sniffle. "Shh, Alli. Don't talk too much. You'll be fine. Here." I flip my tessen open and use it to cut a piece of my jacket off. I wrap it around her arm, where most of the blood flows out.

She blinks slowly. "You know I'm not fine," she says. "Annie, what was that...thing?"

I wipe my nose. "I...I don't know. It looked like a super mutant turtle, by the looks of it. But no mutant turtle I know would hurt you like this." I rip off another piece of my jacket and use it to cover her right leg.

"Ow!" she squeaks.

I gasp. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" She whimpers at the pain she's in. Poor, poor Alli. "You'll be fine. Don't worry."

As I reach for another strip of jacket, her hand grips my wrist. "Annie, don't waste your time on me. I'm better off dying."

More tears stream down my face. "No! I won't let you die! You're my friend, Alli!"

"And you're mine," she whispers. "But it's better this way. I know it is." She breathes deeply, shakily. "Just let me die."

Through my teary eyes, I know inside there's no chance of saving Alli. She's in too much pain, and her wounds are cut deep. But how will we explain this to her parents? To the school? To everyone...?

She smiles weakly. "Annie, can you do me a favor?" I nod tearfully. "I know I'm going, but can you please tell me the secrets you kept from me? About you meeting...the turtles."

"Sure, buddy," I whisper. I start telling her about when I was still human, even including parts of my life living with the Shredder and Karai. I tell her about how I obtained my wings and how they work. I finish my story by telling her about my rekindled friendship with the turtles.

Blood and saliva bubbling from her lips, she giggles softly. "Donnie must be really jealous of your friendship with Casey."

I nod. "Yeah... Alli, you're gonna be fine... I know you will."

She shakes her head. "I'm done here." She sounds so wise and old. "My life is done here, and I'll live a new one up in the stars." She coughs. "But Annie, promise me one thing."

I sniffle. "What is it, kiddo?"

Her eyes shut and reopen. "Promise me you and Donnie will get together. I always pictured you as a couple. Just kiss him at least once."

I lean close to her, smiling. "Alli? I already did."

She smiles. "You did...?! That's...amazing." She coughs again. "Thank you, Annie, for being my only friend. I'll never forget you." With that, Alli Harper falls back and hits the surface of the roof, eyes shut.

My own eyes widen. "Alli...? Alli? Come on, buddy. Wake up." A third round of fresh tears bubbling in my eyes. "Allison Harper! Wake up!"

But I know she's already dead.

I pull my knees up to my chest and sob loudly into them. "Alli!" My nerdy best friend, gone forever. How am I gonna explain this to her mom and dad?! Do I have to say their daughter was attacked and killed by a mutant turtle, and I couldn't save her?!

Crying, I cover her body up with the rest of my jacket and lay her on the corner of the roof. I'll bury her later. Right now, I've gotta track that monster down.

* * *

I search various rooftops for the turtles, and finally see one. I look closely at him, and he looks at me with reddish-brown eyes. Donnie!

"Donnie!" I run to him, just as Raph and Mikey do. "Donnie?" He's all beaten up and bruised. I just now realize he doesn't have his mask on.

He opens his eyes again. "What hit me? It was like Raph, only bigger and meaner. Angrier but...not quite as ugly."

"It was Spike," Raph answers. "He got into the mutagen. I was gonna tell you guys, but—"

"Spike?" Donnie rolls his eyes. "Way to keep that mutagen safe, Raph."

I turn on the red-masked turtle, breathing heavily. "Spike?! Spike?! Your precious pet turtle mutated?! He killed my friend!" I lunge for him, but he dodges and grabs Donnie. I hesitate. Raph knows I won't hurt him as long as he has Donnie.

"Come on," he says. "We gotta find some cover."

* * *

Raph and I take turns holding Donnie and supporting him. On my third turn, he stumbles and falls. "Can't make it... I'm too weak. You go on without me, fellas."

"No turtle left behind!" Raph protests. "That's our rule."

I look at his arm, which seems limp and useless. "Donnie, I'm gonna tie off your sprained arm. It might hurt, okay? Bite down on this." I snatch Raph's sai and place the handle in Donnie's mouth.

He seems disgusted. "Tastes like leather and sweat!"

I shrug and quickly tie up his limp arm, him releasing small groans of pain every once in a while. I feel bad for him, but it's for his own good. I take the sai out of his mouth and hand it back to Raph.

After a while, I notice we're alone; Mikey and Raph left. I look at Donnie, who still looks like he's in pain.

"Donnie?" He looks at me. "You look really handsome with your mask off." Blushing, he chuckles nervously.

* * *

Suddenly, Mikey comes back, and I notice he looks beaten up too, and his mask is gone. "Slash is back! Raph's in trouble!"

Donnie gets up. "Raph's...fighting him?"

"Not really fighting," Mikey admits. "More like getting stomped into green goo. Come on!"

After helping Donnie and Mikey cross the rooftops to catch up to Raph and Slash, the brothers attack him. "No! Get off of him!"

But Slash just tosses them aside. I look at the murderer dead in the eye. "Hey, Slash?! Remember me?" More tears start to come into my eyes. "You're the one who killed Alli! And now, I'm gonna take my revenge!"

I unfold my tessen and strike him with it, dodging his attacks. He swipes at me, and I just miss the blow. He suddenly punches me in the face and kicks me in the gut. I fall to my knees, clutching my stomach in pain.

I breathe heavily. "Alli... You killed my best friend!" I throw my tessen at him and it catches him in the eye. Blood dribbles down his face, and his eyes fix on mine. All I see is pure hatred.

He kicks me mercilessly and I slam into the surface of the roof, blood leaking from my body. The last thing I remember is seeing Slash come for me before I pass out.

* * *

When I wake up from unconsciousness, I see my sister over me, dabbing a wet cloth on my forehead. "April?"

She shushes me. "Shush. You were beaten up pretty badly in a fight with the turtles. The turtles brought you here so you can get better."

My eyes widen. "Alli! Where's Alli?!"

April shrugs. "Her parents called me to ask where you two were."

I sniffle. "B-but Alli's dead!"

April's eyes widen. "What?!"

I cry into her arms as she embraces me. "I'll explain everything to you later. It's just too much for me right now."

She nods. "Of course. I understand."

I look over her shoulder and glare through my tears. If Slash is still out there, I solemnly promise to hunt him down and kill him, for Alli.


End file.
